By Leslie Ann Aquino
Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo is the new bishop of Malolos.
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Pope Francis appointed Villarojo days after the diocese marked the first death anniversary of its former bishop Jose Oliveros, who died at the age of 71 on May 11, 2018.
Since the death of Oliveros, it was managed by Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco who serves as its current apostolic administrator.
A native of Cebu City, the 52-year old Villarojo finished philosophy at San Carlos College Seminary of Cebu and theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
He was ordained a priest on June 10, 1994.
After his ordination, he served as the personal secretary of the late Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, who was then Cebu archbishop.
The bishop also studied at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome from 1998 to 2001 where he obtained a doctorate in Philosophy.
After his studies in Rome, he returned to Cebu and continued serving as Vidal’s secretary until 2010 when he eventually became a parish priest.
In 2015, the Vatican appointed him as General Secretary of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress held in Cebu in January 2016. A few months later, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu, receiving the episcopal consecration on August 10.
Since April 2019, he’s been the lone assistant bishop of Archbishop Jose Palma after Bishop Oscar Florencio was installed to the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines.
In a News post, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said Villarojo will be the fifth head of the Malolos diocese.