24/01/2026
APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW BISHOP OF KALIBO
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Capiz joyfully announces that the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has appointed the Reverend Cyril Buhayan Villareal as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Kalibo.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop-elect Cyril Buhayan Villareal was born on March 1, 1974 in Mambusao, Capiz, to (+)Candito Villareal and Elenita Buhayan. Formed within the local Church of Capiz, he completed his elementary education at Mambusao Elementary School (1987) and pursued priestly formation at St. Pius X Seminary, Lawaan, Roxas City, where he finished high school (1991) and earned an A.B. in Philosophy (1995).
He continued seminary formation in Manila at the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary, completing a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (2000) at the UST Faculty of Sacred Theology, alongside an M.A. in Theology (2000) at the UST Graduate School. With a sustained interest in moral theology, he later undertook advanced studies in Austria, earning the degree Magister Theologiae (Moral Theology) (2012) from the Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Vienna.
Msgr. Villareal was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 2001 at the Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral, Roxas City, by the Most Rev. Onesimo C. Gordoncillo, D.D. His early ministry combined priestly formation and academic service: from 2000 to 2004, he served as formator and professor at Sancta Maria Mater et Regina Seminarium (SMMRS) in Cagay, Roxas City. After a period as guest priest at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, Quezon City (2004–2005), he returned to the path of specialization, spending 2005–2012 on study leave in Vienna, where he also ministered as assistant parish priest and Filipino Catholic chaplain at Maria Jom Berge Parish, serving the pastoral needs of the Filipino community abroad.
Returning to Capiz, he resumed seminary formation work as formator at SMMRS (2012–2016) and contributed to the local Church’s social mission as assistant director of the Commission on Social Action (2013–2014). His subsequent assignments reflected increasing pastoral and administrative responsibility: he served as rector of the Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral (2016–2018) and as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Capiz (2016–2021), concurrently acting as a member of the Board of Consultors. He later became rector of Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion (2018–2023), while also serving as director of the Office for the Reception of Reports Pertaining to Sexual Abuse by Clerics and Religious (2020–2023)—a role requiring prudence, integrity, and pastoral sensitivity.
Following the transfer of Jose Cardinal Advincula as Archbishop of Manila, Msgr. Villareal was elected Archdiocesan Administrator of the Archdiocese of Capiz (2021–2023), entrusted with shepherding the local Church in a period of transition.
In 2024, Msgr. Villareal was appointed parish priest of St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, Dao, Capiz, and concurrently Vicar Forane of the Vicariate of St. Thomas of Villanova. He also serves as chairman of the Commission on Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, bringing together his academic formation, pastoral experience in the diaspora, and long-standing service to the local Church. His scholarly contribution includes his Magister Theologiae thesis, “Current Views on Marriage and Sexuality: An Addendum to the ‘Trinitarian Dimension of Conjugal Love’”, hosted through the University of Vienna repository.
Prot. N. 10/2026
Chancery of the Archdiocese of Capiz
Roxas City, Capiz
January 24, 2026
