Welcome home Archbishop Midyphil B. Billones

By Larry T. Tabsing

“Bene advenisti” – Welcome home, Msgr. Midyphil B. “Dodong” Billones!

May the Lord, who has chosen you as His servant, fill you with the gifts of the Holy Spirit as you faithfully guide His Church with wisdom, patience and love.

We pray that your leadership will bring renewal and hope to the Archdiocese of Jaro.

May the Holy Spirit guide your decisions and inspire your actions so that your ministry becomes a source of blessing and joy for all.

Today, the Kristianong Katilingban of the Archdiocese of Jaro welcomes its new prelate, His Grace Midyphil B. Billones.

Allow me to share memories of this most honored person, who happens to be a classmate, a friend and a companion on the journey.

Bishop Midz, or “Dodong” as he is fondly called, is a compelling individual—someone with strong communication skills, a great listener and a man who can hold a captivating conversation.

As classmates, we came to know him deeply and personally.

In our Seminaryo ’89 yearbook, he quoted, “Seek God in your desiring, desire God in your seeking.”

He also wrote, “Love, lover, lovable—one who succumbs more to the essential than the accidental.”

He introduced himself as “an uncompromising, soft-spoken diplomat who can make everyone kneel or gather dishes after a simple ‘tsk-tsk-tsk.’”

Reflecting on those lines, I believe the first quote simply means that when we desire God, our seeking becomes more intentional, and when we seek God, our desires become aligned with His will.

As a young scholastic, Dodong was drawn to Aristotle’s metaphysical thought, which distinguished what is essential from what is incidental.

Metaphysics teaches that essential attributes define the core of what a thing is—it cannot exist without them—while accidental attributes describe how something is, but not what it is.

In other words, for something to be what it is, it must possess its essential traits; otherwise, it is merely secondary.

On that note, one might say Dodong speaks for himself—his leadership is powerful yet quiet, firm yet diplomatic.

These are the attributes of the mind, heart and soul of Bishop Dodong.

I recall a memorable moment during the 1995 World Youth Day at Luneta.

As the multitude gathered, a familiar voice chanted the gospel acclamation.

Appearing on the screen was Dodong, singing at the rostrum.

He was chosen from among the deacons—a rare privilege to sing during a Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II.

I was there as part of the Bombo Radyo Philippines coverage team and a delegate from the Archdiocese of Jaro.

Dodong is a music lover and an excellent singer.

You’d enjoy hearing him perform Lionel Richie’s “Stuck on You” while strumming his guitar.

He sang tenor in our Schola Cantorum concerts.

Bishop Billones began high school at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary in Jaro, Iloilo City.

When we entered college, there were 16 of us from the high school and special classes, but only 12 graduated with a degree in Philosophy.

Of those, seven were later ordained as priests—a rare outcome for a batch.

We graduated in 1989, the same year the seminary celebrated its 120th founding anniversary.

Dodong received awards for Academic Excellence and Leadership.

Among our classmates ordained as priests were Frs. Philip Neil Antenor Cruz, Jose Maria Evidente, Joseph Marterior, Jose Alex Serania, Moises Tacardon and Agaton Adille.

We studied under the leadership of rectors Msgr. Claudio Sale, HP, Jose Palma and Emmanuel Trance—who themselves would later become bishops.

The author is a former broadcaster and currently the Regional Vice President for Western Visayas of PhilHealth. Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Jaro, Commission on Social Communications.