FROM ROMBLON TO SORSOGON…MORE CHALLENGES

It was an ordinary day until an individual I have not seen for more than ten years came into my office. The signature eye-glasses were still there, framing wisely intense eyes. Even the mop of hair was still evident. He has gained a few pounds, but there was no mistaking Monsignor Arturo Bastes for another man. The big difference was that in that meeting I was facing the Bishop of Romblon. In my three-year stint in Surigao I met different priests and nuns from varied congregations Msgr. Bastes stood out because of his intensity when he did anything. In training and conducting the Surigao Choire, he bathed himself in sweat, with hair in total disarray. But it was in lecturing about the Bible that I found Msgr. Bastes way beyond his peers.

Bishop Bastes was born in Loboc, Bohol to Pablo O. Bastes and Felisa C. Mandin. Bonita, Pablo, Jr., Flores and Rufino are his brothers and sister. He attended Loboc Central Elementary School for his basic education and he finished his secondary education at Christ the King Mission Seminary in Quezon City (1956-60). After high school he took Associate in Arts (A.A.) in the same institution, then had the Novitiate of the Society of the Divine Word (S.V.D.) at Christ the King Seminary and the Holy Novitiate in Tagaytay City . He also finished his AB-Philosophy at the Divine Word Seminary.

Every pace of Msgr. Bastes' life is geared towards serving and pleasing God, with his dedication to give out his best to the people as a way of actualizing His call. In 1964, he had his First Religious Vow in SVD. Knowing that he needed to equip himself more in his vocation, he took his Master of Arts in Philosophy at the Divine Word Seminary. His regency for about a year was spent at St. Augustine 's Minor Seminary in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, after which he finished his Theology at DWS. He took his Perpetual Vows in the SVD also at DWS. He was ordained to the Diaconate by the Most Rev. Mariano Gaviola, D.D., Bishop of Cabanatuan. He was ordained to the Presbyterate at the Luneta Park , Manila . Convinced of his potentials for further growth, his superiors sent him to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome , Italy for his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) and Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (SSL).

To improve his facility in languages, he attended the Universita Italiana Per Stranieri in Perugia , Italy for the Italian; the Walchensee Sprachinstitut, Walchensee in West Germany for the German; the Institut Catholique de Paris and Alliance Francaise in Paris , France for his French. His keenness and adeptness in the Bible was further enhanced when he attended Additional Biblical Studies in Modern Hebrew, Archaeology and OT Exegesis at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Hebrew University , and the Ecole Biblique de Jerusalem, in Israel .

Equipped with his various studies and exposures, he was given numerous assignments when he came back to the Philippines . He was a Professor in OT Exegesis, Fundamental Theology, Philosophy, Introduction to Sacred Scriptures, Salvation History, Hebrew, and Music at the Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City . Then he was assigned as a Parish Priest of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte. A year later he went back to the Divine Word Seminary for another teaching job. From 1978 to 1983 he was assigned Parish Priest at Sta. Monica, Surigao del Norte. From 1982 to 1985 he was elevated as District Supervisor, SVD Surigao District, Surigao del Norte. At the same time he served as Diocesan Pastoral Coordinator, Arnoldus Pastoral Offices, Diocese of Surigao, Surigao City . In 1985 he was designated Vice Provincial Superior of the Southern Province of the Society of the Divine (SVD). Simultaneously he was a Professor (NT Exegesis, Dogmatic Theology, Introduction to Sacred Scriptures) and Vice-Rector at Saint Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary, Davao City . He founded and was Director of Paul VI Biblical Center for Mindanao , Davao City , and was Branch Manager of the Catholic Trade, Cebu, Inc. Davao City Branch.

In 1988 he went back to Italy as a participant to the International Renewal Course of the SVD in Nemi, Rome . The following year he was a Lecturer of the Verbum Dei Pastoral-Biblical Course, also in Rome . In 1990 he came back to Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte as a Parish Priest and became the second Episcopal Vicar of Siargao in the Diocese of Surigao. He also participated the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines in 1991, and in 1994 he went back to Italy for the 14th General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word in Nemi, Rome . The month following he was Elected Provincial Superior of the Southern Province of the Society of the Divine Word with the mission to finish the term of Fr. Provincial Antonio Pernia, SVD who was elected the Vice-Superior General of the SVD during the 14th General Chapter. From 1996 to 1999 he served as Provincial Superior of the same Province for the “triennium”.

The year 1997 was a momentous period for Msgr. Bastes for he was publicly announced as Bishop of the Diocese of Romblon. A month after the manifesto he was ordained as Bishop at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cebu City by his Eminence Ricardo J. Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu, and was installed as third Bishop of the Diocese of Romblon. He was introduced to the Diocese by the first Bishop of Romblon, Bishop Nicolas Mondejar.

In 1998 he again went to Rome for the Special Synod for Asia as an elected delegate of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines . The year after he served as Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines . In Thailand he participated the Plenary Assembly of the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishop's Conferences) as an elected delegate of the CBCP in 2000. And until this moment he is a member of the Office of Theological Concerns of the FABC.

The first Diocesan Synod of Romblon on October 2000 coincided with the Silver Jubilee of the Diocese. Thirty-five priests, 38 VDs, 35 Diocesan and 2 SVD Parishes participated in the grand occasion. The objective was the implementation of Synodal decrees: formation of BEC, Diocesan Pastoral Plan for adoption by 26 Parishes, livelihood projects, social actions, medical mission, and women's welfare. There is also the on-going project of building a kindergarten school in every Parish.

The Diocese of Romblon is a national model for tithing. It has more than 800 volunteer catechists, the biggest in the Philippines , with 150 more undergoing training. There are no NPA members in his Diocese. The word of God should be heard everywhere, unlimited by distance nor time. A shepherd tends his flocks in accordance with the Divine will. Bishop Arturo Bastes found fulfillment in Romblon; nevertheless, this does not mean he has fully accomplished what the Almighty wills him to do. After some tearful farewell, he is now assigned as Bishop in the Diocese of Sorsogon, Suffragan of the Archdiocese of Caceres, compromising the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, and Masbate . A new challenge for a faithful Shepherd of the Lord.

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