The Diocese of Masbate (Latin: Dioecesis Masbatensis) is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The seat of the bishop is the Cathedral Parish of Saint Anthony of Padua along Quezon Street, Masbate City.
The diocese has experienced no jurisdictional changes and is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Cáceres. Its patron is Saint Anthony of Padua.
History With the other provinces of Bicol, Masbate once belonged to the Archdiocese of Cáceres. When Cáceres was elevated to the status of an archdiocese on June 29, 1951, Masbate became part of the newly erected Diocese of Sorsogon. Pope Paul VI created the Diocese of Masbate on March 23, 1968. It was formally inaugurated on September 25, 1968, with Porfírio Rivera Iligan, a priest from the Archdiocese of Cáceres, as its first bishop.
Ordinaries No. Name From Until Consecrated bishop Coat of arms 1Porfirio Rivera IliganJune 17, 1968February 14, 1998September 3, 1968 2Joel Zamudio BaylonFebruary 14, 1998October 1, 2009March 25, 1998 3Jose Salmorin BantoloJune 15, 2011December 13, 2025August 22, 2011 Sede vacante (since December 13, 2025)
Vicars-general The vicar-general assists the bishop in the administrative duties over the diocese. The offices of the vicar-general and the episcopal vicars temporarily ceased upon the vacancy of the episcopal see.
Anacleto Golimlim (†) Arturo Lachica (†) Claro Caluya III (1984–2009) Ismael Misolas (2009) Eusebio Llonoso (2011–present)
See also Catholic Church in the Philippines
References
Resources The 2010–2011 Catholic Directory of the Philippines (published by Claretian Publications for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, 2010)