by Joel V. Ocampo
The Holy Father Pope Francis has appointed His Excellency, Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio S. David, D.D., Bishop of Kalookan, and current President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) as New Cardinal-Elect from Philippines. The announcement was made public by the Pope after the praying of Angelus at the St. Peter Square on October 6th, 2024.
Bishop Ambo, as he was fondly called, was born on March 3, 1959. He grew up in the Town of Betis in Guagua, Pampanga. He is the 10th of the thirteen children of the late +Atty. Pedro Sahagun David, and +Bienvenida Sanchez Siongco. He entered the Mother of Good Counsel Minor Seminary in Pampanga (1970-1974), and studied secondary education at the age of eleven, after he heard the call of the Lord Jesus, during his daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament, in an experienced he called “Seduced By His Light, Sustained By His Love”. He continued his seminary formation under the Jesuits, where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Pre-Divinity at the San Jose Seminary, Ateneo de Manila University in 1978, and his Master’s Degree in Theology at the Loyola School of Theology in 1984.
Father Ambo
He was ordained as a Deacon on September 28, 1982. He received his Ordination to the Sacred Order of Presbyters on March 12, 1983, as a priest for the Archdiocese of San Fernando, through the laying of hands of †Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, the then Archbishop of San Fernando (1978-1988). From 1986 to 1991 he studied for Licentiate and later a Doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He also studied French language at the Institut Catholique de Paris in order to qualify for research work with the French Dominican fathers of the Couvent Saint Etienne at the Ecole Biblique De Jerusalem, Israel. From the Holy Land, he returned to Louvain to finish his doctoral studies and defend his biblical exegetical dissertation on the Book of Daniel. In December 1991, Father Ambo obtained his degree as Doctor of Sacred Theology.
Upon his return to the Philippines, he faced the aftermath in Pampanga of the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Several mudflows and lahar, worsened by recurring typhoons and monsoon rains continued to bury several towns and villages. Seeing the situation, he volunteered in the social action and rehabilitation of countless survivors who lost their families and homes.
As a priest, the then Fr. Ambo David also served in the following ministries:
Parochial Vicar, Sta. Lucia Parish, Sasmuan, Pampanga;
Guest Lecturer of Philosophy, Mother of Good Counsel Seminary;
Full-time Formator and Professor, Mother of Good Counsel Seminary;
Dean and Director of the Philosophy Department, Mother of Good Counsel Seminary (1984-1986);
Full-time Formator and Professor of Theology, Mother of Good Counsel Seminary;
Dean, Graduate School of Theology, Mother of Good Counsel Seminary (1992-1996);
Chairman, Committee for the On-going Priestly Formation (1992-1996);
Spiritual Director, Graduate School of Theology, Mother of Good Counsel Seminary (1996-2001);
Head, Commission on Clergy Affairs (1996-2001);
Director of Formation, Graduate School of Theology, Mother of Good Counsel Seminary (2000-2006);
Guest Professor, Maryhill School of Theology (MST), Quezon City (1992-1999);
Guest Professor, Loyola School of Theology;
Board of Trustee, Catholic Biblical Association of the Philippines (CBAP);
Parish Priest, Parish of the Lord's Ascension, San Fernando, Pampanga (2006);
Apart from these, he also tirelessly organized weekend course and parish formation sessions on the Scriptures and Theology for the laity in Pampanga from 1996 to 2015. One of these was organized in Holy Rosary Parish, Angeles City, and dubbed as “Biblia at Kape: Itanong Kay Bishop Ambo”, held once a month at the parish hall.
Biblia at Kape session on November 30, 2015. Photos by Jet Sagun.
Furthermore, in 2004, he initiated the production of a Sunday Gospel talk show entitled, “Men of Light”, with the help of the late +Marilou Diaz-Abaya, co-hosted by Rev. Fr. Deogracias Galang, and other priests and laity. To this date, Men of Light already produced more or less 1,040 episodes, plus, around 3,744 Daily Gospel Reflection entitled, “Daylight”.
Behind the scenes of Men of Light, with Bishop Ambo
Bishop Ambo
On May 27, 2006 he was appointed Titular Bishop of Guardialfiera and Auxiliary of San Fernando, by Pope Benedict XVI. Then on July 10, 2006, he was ordained Bishop at the Manila Cathedral, with Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales as the Principal Consecrator, and Archbishop Paciano B. Aniceto (then Archbishop of San Fernando), and †Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo (then CBCP President and Archbishop of Jaro) as Co-Consecrators. It happened right on the day after the closing of our Plenary Assembly, so he had at least 70 bishops in attendance. The preacher during the ordination was Cardinal Chito Tagle, and the co-presiders were Archbishop Aniceto and Archbishop Filoni (Apostolic Nuncio to Philippines in 2006).
As a bishop, he served in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in the following ministries:
Central Luzon Regional Representative (2007-2013);
Member, Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate (2007-2009; 2019-2021);
Chairman, Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate (2009-2015);
Member, Episcopal Commission on Basic Ecclesial Communities (2009-2015);
Member, Episcopal Commission on Doctrine of the Faith (2009-2013; 2015-2021);
Vice Chairman, Episcopal Committee for the Cultural Heritage (2013-2015);
Chairman, Episcopal Committee for the Cultural Heritage (2015-2017);
Vice President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (2017-2021);
Vice Chairman, Episcopal Committee for the Cultural Heritage (2017-2021);
Member, Episcopal Office for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons (2019-2021); and
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (2021-present).
In addition to these, he was also one of the Consultors of the Catholic Biblical FederationSouth-East Asia Subregion (CBF SEA); then on February 22, 2024, was elected as the next Vice President of Federation of Bishops Conferences of Asia (FABC), and his term will begin in 2025.
Auxiliary of San Fernando and Bishop of Kalookan
While serving as the Auxiliary of San Fernando, he was appointed as Parish Priest of Holy Rosary Parish (HRP) in Angeles City. In this parish, he established the HRP Social Action Center (HRP-SAC) which catered the last, the least, and the lost in Angeles City. Some of the social action activities include the following: Story-telling with Bp. Ambo; Sagip Sapang Balen Environmental Advocacy; Programs and Services for the PWDs; Medical and Allied Health Services; Disaster Response; Crisis Center for Women and Children, scholarships, and many more. During a Holy Mass for the survivors of the landslide caused by Typhoon Ondoy in San Juan Baño, Arayat, Bishop Ambo said, “In times of disasters, we become like guardian angels to affected families when we share what we have to help them rebuild their lives.”
In the Diocese of Kalookan, Bishop David continued the pastoral programs and services for the last, the least, and the lost. This includes the following: Task Force Salubong; Center of Mercy for Street Children; Children Scholarship Program, EJK Orphans, among others.
On December 1, 2021, the Holy Angel University conferred on Bishop Ambo, the degree Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa) “for his inspirational leadership in Church and community and for his tireless work of evangelization as writer, homilist, cultural heritage worker and advocate for the environment,” as well as “for his courage to care for the poorest of the poor, defend the defenseless and empower the marginalized.”
Bishop Ambo, delivering his homily at Holy Rosary Parish. Photo by Ms. Chanda Pascua and Mr. Angelo Mangahas
Bishop Ambo was also known for his good homilies. Some of his notable homilies includes the following (excerpts only):
A Church with no mission is not a Church; it is just another club. A Church that doesn’t serve is not a Church. It might be just another profit-making institution.
Parental stewardship is not just about disciplining. It is also about understanding and accepting one’s children even when they make mistakes.
Yes, it is true. Sin, like disease, is contagious…but don’t you forget that the good is more contagious. If evil is powerful, goodness and God’s mercy is more powerful.
My dear parents, raise your children not just to become obedient to you but also obedient to God’s will.
You have not known love yet if you’re still looking for a thousand and one reasons to love. Well, love has its own reasons.
The moment a teacher thinks that s/he already knew everything, that’s when they stop being effective teachers. Good teachers must remain as students; because as a teacher, you don’t stop learning.
On the cross, Jesus is like saying, “Never ever say that you are a worthless and hopeless person. I offered my life for you. I will never give you up.”
God is already doing something. God is at work. All you need to do is to open your eyes, not your physical eyes but your spiritual eyes.
Remember we are Catholic; and Catholic is about inclusiveness, about open-mindedness, about being ready to extend our arms even to those who are not of our own kind.
Never hold on to anything in this world like it’s your everything; because if you lose it, you’re lost.
When people care for each other, nobody will experience hunger.
If you want to become truly wise you must learn to admit that you do not know everything.
Kenosis
With all of these achievements, Bishop Ambo keeps on pointing on to God, the source of all things. True to the motto of the Jesuits who formed him, he always says, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!” (For the greater glory of God.) True also to his episcopal motto, “KENOSIS”, a Greek term that means “self-emptying”, inspired by Philippians 2:7. The motto emphasizes the whole philosophy of ego-lessness upon which Christian spirituality is anchored.
A Loving Mentor
Finally, as one of the youths in the community that was formed into the faith by Bishop Ambo, I am a witness of him being a loving mentor. I personally witnessed and experienced his care and compassion for the youth, the vulnerable, and those who are deprived in the society. He encouraged me to study college despite my being out of school for almost ten years; he helped me find educational assistance; he motivated me to pass the board examination for social worker and teachers; encouraged me to pursue graduate studies, and help the community of God by being a Catholic social worker and teacher. He also taught me, one-on-one, his knowledge about the Scriptures while we were on our way back to Holy Rosary Parish after the shooting of Men of Light, during Friday evenings back when he was still in Pampanga.
On May 23, 2009, Bishop Ambo launched the Sagip Sapang Balen, an environmental advocacy group that aimed to revive the dying river, which used to be a haven for aquatic creatures and a beautiful sight to behold for many Angeles folks of old. For one full year (May 2009 to June 2010), I accompanied him in cleaning up the river every Saturday morning. We literally went down to remove from the brook non-biodegradable trash materials like plastic bags and styrofoam containers that littered and clogged the waterway.
Bishop Ambo, cleaning the Sapang Balen
Before going to Sapang Balen, we had our simple breakfast at the parish rectory. As we ate pan de sal, we continued our casual conversations about the Bible. This “breakfast with the Lord” inspired the Lectio Divina method now known as B.F.A.S.T. (Bible for Faith and Action Sharing Team).
In July 2016, Bishop Ambo published a book entitled, “The Gospel of Mercy According to Juan/a.” In this book, he included my story which he entitled, “The Story of Joel.” On one of my birthdays, he told me, “Today, please take time to thank God. To thank God for the gift of life; and the gift that you are supposed to be to the world. Magpasalamat sa regalo ng buhay; at sa regalong dapat mong isabuhay sa daigdig. You are not just gifted; you’re supposed to be a gift. Ikaw ay regalo.”
Now that he was elected to be a Cardinal, all I can do is to include him everyday in my prayers. So that with this great responsibility, he can continue to participate in the shepherding of God’s people that were entrusted to him.
Comments