Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David has taken over as acting president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
David’s temporary takeover came after the CBCP president, Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, suffered from a mild stroke in May.
David, a renowned New Testament scholar and former Pampanga auxiliary bishop, is the vice president of CBCP.
Valles suffered a mild stroke on May 21, which was aggravated by “hospital-acquired pneumonia,” according to David.
In July 2019, Valles and David were re-elected to their second terms as CBCP president and vice president, respectively, during a plenary assembly. Their terms will be until Nov. 30, 2021.
David is a known critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs. He faced charges of inciting to sedition, but was cleared by the Department of Justice in February.
David was among the bishops accused by Peter Advincula or “Bikoy” to be part of an alleged “destabilization plot” against the Duterte administration in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video series. John Ezekiel J. Hirro