CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Kapampangan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Siongco David took canonical possession on Saturday of the Diocese of Kalookan almost two years under sede vacante.
The diocese covers the cities of Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas.
His formal installation was held Saturday at the Cathedral of San Roque and presided over by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
David was received with a resounding welcome from local parishioners.
The Catholics Bishops Conference of the Philippines, through its news arm CBCPnews, said the Kalookan diocese has been without a bishop since January 2013 after the resignation of Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez due to health reasons.
CBCPnews added that David, a known Bible scholar, will be the second bishop of the diocese since its establishment in 2003.
David was born on March 2, 1959 in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga. He was ordained a priest on March 12, 1983.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of San Fernando on May 27, 2006. He was ordained Bishop on July 10, 2006.
David finished his college seminary formation at the San Jose Seminary, Ateneo de Manila University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Divinity degree.
He took his Master of Arts degree in Theology at the Loyola School of Theology, also in Ateneo, and proceeded to earn his Licentiate in Sacred Theology degree from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium in 1988.
The following year he took up doctorate degree in Sacred Theology, also at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
David was member of the Permanent Council of the CBCP from 2007 to 2013.
He also chaired the Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate of the CBCP from 2009 to 2015.
David is the current vice chairman of the CBCP Permanent Committee on Cultural Heritage.