Former Bishops of Imus

He was born in Meycawayan, Bulacan, on October 20, 1911, the son of Exequiel Casas and Maria Gabriel.

He studied in San Juan de Letran College then entered UST Central Seminary where he finished his priestly studies having obtained degrees in Philosophy and Theology, Class ’39.

He was ordained priest on March 20, 1938, by Archbishop Michael O’Doherty and was given his first assignment as the Asst. Priest of Paombong, Bulacan. Subsequently, he was parish priest of the parishes of San Roque, Cavite, San Juan del Monte, Rizal, and the Immaculate Conception in Tayuman, Manila. After which he was assigned as Rector of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Manila.

He was born to Don Fernando Perez y Canon, a Spaniard and Doña Rosario Paz y Hidalgo, a Spanish mestiza, in Plaza del Carmen in Quiapo, Manila on July 7, 1920. His family belonged to the “illustrados” of Old Manila. His father, Don Fernando, was the son of a Spanish army officer in Quezon and a nephew of the famous guitarist and revolutionary Fernando Canon. He studied in Madrid, Spain. His mother, Doña Rosario, was a niece of the foremost Filipino painter and patriot, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo after whom the bishop was named.

Bishop Perez studied at La Salle University from prep to college. He studied first a course in Commerce to allow him to think things over on the advice of his father. Just after the Second World War, when his father was imprisoned and his own brother killed by a landmine, Bishop Perez entered the San Jose Seminary of the Jesuits.

On April 9, 1955, he was ordained priest by the late Rufino Cardinal Santos in the chapel of San Carlose Seminary. The next day, the new priest said his first mass at the Sacred Heart Parish in Sta. Mesa.

On May 27, 1969, he was appointed by Pope Paul VI as the second bishop of Imus Diocese. He died on February 29, 1992. Bishop Perez realized the importance of priestly formation fitted for his Diocese. In 1970, he established the Our Lady of the Pillar Minor Seminary and in 1975, the Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol, the major seminary of the Diocese. The formation in these seminaries were quite pioneering for that time. Bishop Perez was perceived to be too shy to have a very close relationship with all his priests. However he has always shown concern for the welfare of his priests. Besides the monthly subsidies that he gives to the poor parishes, the bishop would go out of his way to procure mass stipend for priests in poor parishes to augment the finacial help that he gave.

One of his last desires was to build a "Casa del Clero" for the old and sickly priests. Unfortunately, he died before making this dream come true. On February 29, 1992, Bishop Perez quietly passed away leaving all his plans and dreams to be fulfilled by his successors. During his funeral, he was described as A MAN OF VISION, ALWAYS AHEAD OF HIS TIME AND ALWAYS WILLING TO TAKE RISKS FOR THE SAKE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. He was impatient when it comes to mediocrity and inaction. He was a prayerful man and a great Marian devotee, a lover of learning and arts. He had a good sense of humor, always forgiving and trusting in the goodness of man.

Bishop Manuel Sobreviñas was born April 7,1924, to parents, the late Daniel V. Sobreviñas and Magdalena P. Cruz of Dinalupihan, Bataan. While a student of the Dinalupihan Elementary School, his teachers swore that the young Manuel showed early desire to become a priest.

He later entered the Guadalupe Minor Seminary in Mandaluyong and later enrolled at UST Central Seminary. He also studied Philosophy and Theology and eventually was ordained priest on March 10, 1951, by the late Archbishop Gabriel Ma. Reyes.

Bishop Sobreviñas was assigned the following posts: Asst. Parish Priest of San Ildefonso, Bulacan; Parish Priest at San Miguel Parish, Dampol, Plaridel, Bulacan, and Parish Priest at the Immaculate Conception Parish, Marikina, Rizal. Aside from his parochial assignments, Bishop Sobreviñas received the following appointments: Archdiocesan Chaplain of the Young Christian Worders, YCW, and Chaplain of the Veterans Memorial Hospital. He later on was given the assignment as Parish Priest of the Nuestra Senora de Araanzazu, San Mateo, Rizal, and finally at the San Felipe Neri Parish in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila.

In recognition of his dedication and fidelity to the church, Bishop Sobreviñas was consecrated Bishop and was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin, D.D., and given the title, Titular Bishop of Tulana. On June 15, 1979, he was assigned Parish Priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Pasig, Rizal. Together with his parochial duties, Bishop Sobreviñas was further assigned by Cardinal Sin in the following positions: Chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission on Vision and Phenomena; Head of the Manila Archdiocesan Parochial Schools Association (MAPSA), Minister of the Catechetical Ministry of the Archdiocese of Manila; Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Catechetical Education (ECCE) and Spiritual Director of the Senatus of Northern Philippines and the Adoration Nocturna

He was named third bishop of the Diocese of Imus by his Holiness, Pope John Paul II, on April 1, 1993. Sobreviñas retired in October 2001 at the age of 77, and was succeeded by Luis Antonio Tagle, later archbishop of Manila and now cardinal-prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The late bishop’s remains were to be brought to Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral in Imus and then to the Divine Mercy Parish in Biluso, Cavite.

The first Caviteño Bishop of the Diocese of Imus, Bishop Tagle, was born on June 21, 1957, to Manuel T. Tagle, Sr., of Imus and Milagros Gokim of Pangasinan. He has one sibling, Manuel, Jr.

Bishop Chito finished his grade school and gray education 6t St. Andrew’s School in Parañaque as valedictorian. He graduated from Philosophy at the Ateneo de Manila University and San Jose Seminary as summa cum laude. He finished Theology and was an MA Theology candidate at Loyola School of Theology. He finished his licentiate and doctoral degree in Theology at the Catholic University of America with highest honors.

Tagle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in pre-divinity from Ateneo in 1977 and then a Master of Arts in theology at its Loyola School of Theology. Tagle earned his Doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Catholic University of America from 1987 to 1991. He wrote his dissertation under the direction of Joseph A. Komonchak on "Episcopal Collegiality in the Teaching and Practice of Paul VI". Tagle also attended doctrinal courses at the Institute of Pope Paul VI University.In Komonchak's estimation, Tagle was "one of the best students I had in over 40 years of teaching" and "could have become the best theologian in the Philippines, or even in all of Asia" had he not been appointed bishop. Tagle has received honorary degrees from Catholic Theological Union and La Salle University. Tagle is fluent in speaking his native Tagalog language, as well as the English and Italian languages. He is also proficient in reading Spanish, French, Korean and Latin.

He is consultant of the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippine Commission on Doctrine of Faith and Commission on Seminaries; Facilitator CBCP National Ongoing Formation of Priests; Member, Editorial Board Storia del Concilio Vaticano II Instituto per le scienze religiose Bologna, Italy; Presentor and Member of Drafting Committee VVI and VII Plenary Assemblies of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference (FABC); Expert Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia, Vatican City; Chairman Commission on theological Concerns (FABC) Bangkok; appointed by Pope John Paul II as the fourth bishop of Imus on Oct. 22, 2001.

He was ordained to the Episcopate on Dec. 12, 2001, by HE Jaime Cardinal Sin with Bishop Manuel C. Sobreviñas and Bishop Pedro Arigo as co-ordaining prelate. He was also installed on the same day by HE Most Rev. Antonio Franco, D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.

In 2001, Tagle was appointed Bishop of Imus on October 22 and consecrated on December 12 after previously serving as parish priest of the Cathedral-parish of Imus.During his ten years in Imus, he made a point of living simply, owned no car, and invited the destitute to join him for a meal. At the first gathering of bishops under Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, he spoke from the floor about the inadequacy of the number of priests in the Philippines.