IFI North Central Luzon Bishops Conference

Isang maalab na pagbati sa bagong halal na Obispo Diyosesano ng Diyosesis ng Zambales, Obispo Conrado M. De Guzman. Nawa ay maging matatag, malakas at malusog ang inyong paglilingkod bilang ama ng Lokal na Simbahan kasama ang inyong kaparian at mga lider-layko.

Let us pray and support this activity of the Clergy Spouse in the NCL region.

The NCLBC welcomes the Right Revd. Alanbert Pascual as the new Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
Agbiag NCL!
Agbiag NVQ!

The NCLBC welcomes the Right Revd. Alvin V. Valera as the new Diicesan Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Isabela.
Agbiag NCL!
Agbiag DIONI!

Congratulations to the two new elected Bishops in the region. Very Revd. Alanbert Pascual (left) as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino and Very Revd. Alvin V. Valera (right) as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Isabela.
Agbiag NCL!

Ang North-Central Luzon Region ay buong galak na nakikibahagi sa pagdiriwang ng Kapistahan ng Sto. Nino sa Pambansang Katedral. Sa booth na inilaan sa NCL ay inilagay ang mga gulay na ipinagkaloob ng mga Diyosesis na sakop nito at ipanawagan ang pagsuporta sa mga magsasaka.

STAND FIRM ON THE GOSPEL OF TRUTH AND LIFE

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9, NIV)

We, Bishops of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, condemn the malicious accusations and relentless attempts to vilify our ordained ministers and lay members as they bear witness to the Gospel of truth and life. A number of our bishops and priests, lay leaders and workers have been subjected to vilification and red-tagging, and face the dangers of being labeled as communists for involving themselves with human rights and social witness ministries.

Our Church has been unjustly accused by the government's National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of being an "open sectoral organization" of the communist movement in the Philippines. This claim is false, and smells like lies from the bowels of hell. We see malicious accusations linking us to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed group New Peoples' Army (NPA) as a cunning attempt to stop us from serving the underprivileged and working with them to bring about significant social change, defend human rights and advocate good governance.

We have vehemently opposed—and will continue to oppose—government efforts to stigmatize the IFI. We also condemn any demonic plot to keep us from carrying out our Church’s historic mission in journeying with the Filipino people towards a country where everyone enjoys justice and peace.

We condemn the recent instance of the Youth of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente being red-tagged on the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) television program "Laban Kasama ang Bayan," hosted by Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz. The two alleged that the youth camps organized by YIFI were NPA recruitment grounds; and that our bishops, priests and church organizations were participants in and supporters of the communist uprising in the nation. Serial red-taggers, Badoy and Celiz should not be trusted since they betray people of good will and ordinary citizens for thirty pieces of silver, as Judas did to Jesus.

We express our unwavering support to the YIFI’s National Youth Executive Council and applaud them for taking a courageous public stance against the onslaught on their organization, denouncing the SMNI program and its hosts Celiz and Badoy for spreading lies. We encourage YIFI members at all levels to continue organizing and joining youth camps, as well as other spaces where they could pray, reflect and work together.

We are grateful to all our clergy and lay people who, despite the violent attacks, have continued to live out their Christian discipleship, served those who have been wronged and proclaimed the Gospel. We thank you for standing up to those who want to sabotage the truth, for witnessing for God's righteousness, and for keeping your faith in the face of dangers. Your giving witness to our Christian faith inspires and emboldens us.

We know that Satan will never relent in his attempts to prevent us from doing the Lord’s work. Pray for strength and safety for one another. Lovingly defend and protect one another. As we all offer witness to the Gospel of truth and life, may these attacks on us not cause despair but rather spur us to greater courage and dedication. Name-calling, including red-tagging, should not fill us with fear. It should inspire a more resilient faith in God and a greater commitment to serving God’s people.

Let us keep the faith. Let us not allow lies about us deter us from living out our vocation to be in solidarity with the Filipino people in their struggles and aspirations.

For God's people,

Most Rev. Joel Porlares
Obispo Maximo

Rt Rev. Dindo Ranojo
General Secretary

Rt Rev. Joselito Cruz
Supreme Council of Bishops
Chairperson

Rt Rev. Rowel Arevalo
South-Central Luzon Bishops Conference
Chairperson

Rt Rev. Conrado de Guzman
North-Central Luzon Bishops Conference
Chairperson

Rt Rev. Alger Loyao Sr.
Visayas Bishops Conference
Chairperson

Rt Rev. Romeo Tagud
Mindanao Bishops Conference
Chairperson

July 15, 2023

The Local Church of Zambales of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente announces the appoinment of his grace, The Right Reverend Jojit Santos Sayas as the Bishop-In-Charge of the Diocese of Zambales by his eminence, The Most Reverend Joel Ocop Porlares, Obispo Maximo XIV.

Welcome your grace and may God bless you!

His Eminence Joel Ocop Porlares, 62, is the new Obispo Maximo or Supreme Bishop of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente. He succeeds Rhee Timbang who held the position for six years. https://trib.al/6ON6xRu

Aglipayan Church to install new Obispo Maximo

MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of faithful of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) will galvanize at their National Cathedral on Taft Avenue here at 9 a.m. on June 29, 2023, for the installation of their new Obispo Maximo, the Most Rev. Joel O. Porlares.

He will be installed as the fourteenth Obispo Maximo of the IFI (also the Philippine Independent Church in English) on the Feast Day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The IFI is a Catholic church independent from the authority of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. It was proclaimed by labor group Union Obrera Democratica on August 3, 1902. It has some 7 million adherents across 50 dioceses in the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora in the United States and Canada, as well as faith communities in the rest of the world.

Progressive church

The IFI’s first Obispo Maximo is revolutionary leader, Most. Rev. Gregorio Aglipay; thus the moniker, “Aglipayan Church.” Upholding its roots in the liberation movement, it is a nationalist Church with a progressive character.

It has released statements against anti-poor and anti-democratic policies. Many of its members have been victims of human rights violations, including terror-tagging and trumped-up charges. Some, such as former Obispo Maximo Alberto Ramento, were felled in extrajudicial killings linked to their advocacies for vulnerable sectors.

Furthermore, the IFI ordained its first woman priest in 1997. In 2017, its Supreme Council of Bishops released a statement titled, “Our Common Humanity, Our Shared Dignity,” which affirmed LGBTIQ+ faithful and sought support for LGBTIQ+ rights. In 2019, it consecrated its first female bishop, Rt. Rev. Emelyn Gasco-Dacuycuy of the Diocese of Batac. In 2023, it ordained the country’s first out and proud transgender deacon, Rev. Deacon Wowa Ledama of the Diocese of Pagadian.

The Church’s General Assembly (GA), its highest policymaking body, elected Most Rev. Porlares as the Obispo Maximo when it convened on May 7-10, 2023, in Las Piñas City. While the IFI is led by bishops, its structures are synodical, meaning the lay – members of the youth, women and laymen sectors – vote with the ordained. The ordained include not just the bishops but also priests and deacons.

Six-year term

Most Rev. Porlares will serve out a six-year term. The Obispo Maximo “is the Spiritual Head, Chief Pastor, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Church,” according to the IFI’s Constitution and Canons.

He was born in Tacloban City in 1961, and raised in Basey, Samar. His father was a priest of the IFI in the same province. He is married and with three sons. The clergy of the IFI may marry.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Theology from Saint Andrew’s Theological Seminary in Quezon City in 1984 and obtained his master’s degree in Divinity from the same institution in 1989. He has been teaching at Aglipay Central Theological Seminary in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, even serving as its academic coordinator in 1996-99.

Most Rev. Porlares was ordained into the priesthood in September 1984. He served as a priest in the Dioceses of Greater Manila Area, Western Pangasinan, and Bataan and Bulacan, where he eventually became the diocesan bishop. He was elected General Secretary of the IFI in 2017, serving with his predecessor, the Most Rev. Rhee M. Timbang.

Together with the Obispo Maximo, the GA also elected the Church’s General Secretary, General Treasurer and General Auditor: Rt. Rev. Dindo C. Ranojo, Elena C. Del Mundo and Adela L. Rebollido, respectively. Rt. Rev. Ranojo comes from the Diocese of Tarlac. Del Mundo and Rebollido, both members of the Women of the Philippine Independent Church, hail from the Dioceses of Laguna and Batac.
They will be inducted into office during the June 29 rites, with other officers and members of national councils and commissions.

Ecumenical relations

The IFI is an ecumenical Church with membership to the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, with which Most Rev. Porlares is a vice chair. It has concordat relations with the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, and a covenant of partnership with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. In 2021, the IFI and the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines inked a mutual recognition of baptism, a historic document that signaled reconciliation between the two churches.

The IFI also holds membership to the Christian Conference of Asia and the World Council of Churches. It maintains concordat relations with The Episcopal Church based in the United States, the Old Catholic Church of the Union of Utrecht, the Church of England, the Church of Sweden and the Anglican Church of Melanesia.

Leaders from its ecumenical partners will also attend the activity.

For more details and other requests, please contact:
Rt. Rev. Dindo Ranojo
Phone number: (+63)998-985-8945
E-mail address: [email protected].

Living the Gospel of Freedom, Standing for Liberty and Democracy

Pastoral Letter of the Obispo Maximo, His Eminence, the Most Revd Joel O. Porlares, on Philippine Independence Day 2023

Today, our nation commemorates the anniversary of President Emilio Aguinaldo's proclamation of Philippine independence from Spain in 1898, a moment where we announced an independent Philippine nation. However, when we broke off from a colonial power, American imperialism disrupted our bid for self-governance. To this day, many remnants of colonial rule manifesting in our social structures and belief systems unfortunately prevent us from achieving true freedom based on social justice and patrimony.

The Iglesia Filipina Independiente celebrates with the Filipino people this Independence Day, commemorating the selflessness of the heroes who bore arms in those bloody confrontations, as well as those who have sustained the struggle for true liberation. We thank God for the gift of freedom, and commit to defend alongside our people the common good and welfare of everyone — ideals at the core of the struggle.

We join this observance with the hope that true independence may come upon us one day. We also wish to express our concern for the people who continue advocating for this ideal, some of whom have been maligned with intimidation and harassment online and offline, even killed extrajudicially.

Certain attempts to limit our commitment to freedom are of special concern to us at the IFI. The state has vilified, persecuted, violently attacked, and maligned us. Our bishops, priests, and lay people bear heavily the consequences of lies hurled at us by outside forces seeking to confuse, divide and turn us against one another.

The attempts to throw doubt on the integrity of the 2023 General Assembly in May are particularly alarming, with external forces propagating disinformation against the IFI. This systematic disinformation misleading the public is despicable, playing on longstanding accusations about the Church's alleged affiliation with the country's leftist movement one the one hand and on the Church's leadership’s connivance counterinsurgency efforts on the other.

We condemn these attempts to undermine the Church's integrity and delegitimize its participation in our people's historic endeavor to construct a Philippine nation that enjoys genuine liberty and democracy.

As people of faith, we shall remain unwavering in our commitment to protect the dignity, rights and democratic aspirations of our people, and no human power will be able to coerce or force us to act in a way that betrays our mission, Pro Deo et Patria. Scripture calls us to defend God’s gift of freedom: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Defending our individual and national freedoms demands prophetic commitment. We pledge to live out our historical vocation to defend social justice and patrimony. May we all work together for genuine transformation that births true freedom for all members of God’s household in the Filipino nation.

In Christ,

The Most Revd Joel O. Porlares
Obispo Maximo

June 12, 2023
Philippine Independence Day