By I. Inojales | 12:24 PM October 26, 2026
TAGBILARAN CITY — Bishop Crispin “Bai” B. Varquez has opted for a simple ceremony for his canonical possession and installation as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral Shrine.
Varquez requested that the occasion be kept low-key, without elaborate displays, including decorative flags along the streets, to emphasize the simplicity of the religious ceremony.
The 65-year-old bishop, a native of Sevilla, Bohol, is returning to his home province after 19 years of service as bishop of the Diocese of Borongan in Eastern Samar.
Cebu Archbishop Alberto S. Uy, whom Varquez will succeed as head of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, will formally install him.
Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula will deliver the homily during the installation Mass. Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles John Brown is also expected to attend, along with more than 45 bishops and hundreds of priests from the dioceses of Tagbilaran, Talibon and Borongan.
Diocesan administrator Fr. Jingboy Saco said preparations for the ceremony had been completed, with at least 600 guests expected to attend.
Varquez arrived at Ubay Port at around 8 p.m. Monday from Leyte, accompanied by priests, religious members and lay representatives from Borongan. He proceeded to the Bishop’s House in Elijah, Taloto District, Tagbilaran City.
Following the installation, a liturgical welcome for the new bishop will be held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary.
A civic reception hosted by the Bohol provincial government will follow at 6:30 p.m. at the Bohol Cultural Center.
Varquez marks his 37th year as a priest, having been ordained on April 14, 1989. Before his appointment to Borongan, he served the Diocese of Tagbilaran for 18 years.
His return to Bohol marks a new chapter in his ministry, bringing him back to the diocese where he spent nearly two decades of pastoral service.
