The newly elected president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Mgr Socrates Villegas, was a "protégé" of the late Archbishop of Manila, who led the peaceful uprisings that deposed Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada. Elected yesterday, he will take office in December.

Manila (AsiaNews) - The Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, Socrates Villegas, is the new president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Vice president under Archbishop Jose Palma, he will replace him at the helm of the Bishops' Conference starting next December.

Appointed Bishop of Balanga in 2004 and Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in 2009, the 52-year-old Socrates Buenaventura Villegas was one of the figures closest to Card Jaime Sin, who ordained priest in 1985 and appointed him auxiliary bishop of Manila in 2001.

Card Sin, archbishop of Manila until his death from illness in 2005, was one of the main leaders of the Filipino Catholic community, as well as one of the leading architects of the peaceful revolution that brought to an end the 20-year regime of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

In February of that year, at the invitation of Sin, over a million Filipinos marched peacefully in the streets of Manila calling for President Marcos's resignation. Many soldiers joined the march.

Together with Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, Card Sin is remembered as the founder of the People's Power Movement, which also led to President Joseph Estrada's removal from office in 2001.

Elected yesterday, Socrates Villegas will work with new CBCP Vice President and Archbishop of Davao Romulo Valles, as well as Mgr John Du, archbishop of Palo, a second time treasurer.

Villegas and Valles will be take office as of 1 December 2013.

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