Pope Leo XIV Names Mati's Abel Apigo Archbishop of Davao as Romulo Valles Retires at 75

By Kaeleb Savon Heck

DAVAO CITY, Nov. 10, 2026 — Pope Leo XIV has named Bishop Abel Cahiles A. Apigo of Mati as the new metropolitan archbishop of Davao, putting a Davao-born priest who spent most of his career training the region's clergy at the head of one of the largest Catholic jurisdictions in Mindanao.

The Holy See Press Office announced the appointment on Monday, Nov. 9, in its daily bulletin of resignations and appointments. In the same notice, the pope accepted the resignation of Archbishop Romulo G. Valles, who turned 75 in July, the age at which Catholic bishops are required to offer their resignation. Apigo is being transferred from the Diocese of Mati in Davao Oriental, which he has led since 2018.

No installation date had been announced as of Tuesday morning, according to CBCP News, the news service of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. When he is installed, Apigo will become the fifth archbishop of Davao.

For Catholics across Davao City and the wider region, the change closes a roughly 14-year chapter under Valles, a former president of the national bishops' conference, and opens one under a leader who is, by background, a local son: Apigo was born in Calinan, a district of Davao City, ordained for the Davao archdiocese, and spent two decades at the seminary that forms priests for Mindanao.

What the Vatican announced

The Vatican's Italian-language bulletin, published Nov. 9, contained two decisions. First, the pope "accepted the resignation from the pastoral governance" of the Archdiocese of Davao presented by Valles. Second, he appointed Apigo as metropolitan archbishop of Davao, "transferring him from the Diocese of Mati."

GMA News quoted the English version of the announcement in nearly identical terms: "The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Davao, Philippines, presented by Archbishop Romulo G. Valles," and "The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Abel Cahiles A. Apigo as metropolitan archbishop of Davao, Philippines, transferring him from the diocese of Mati."

The word "metropolitan" matters. A metropolitan archbishop heads an ecclesiastical province, a grouping of neighboring dioceses, in addition to running his own archdiocese. The Davao province takes in the dioceses of Digos, Mati and Tagum, which together cover much of the Davao Region. In practice, the archbishop serves as a senior figure and point of coordination for the bishops of those dioceses, while each diocesan bishop remains in charge of his own territory.

That means Apigo is not moving far. He is leaving one diocese inside the Davao province to lead the province's central archdiocese.

Who Abel Apigo is

According to the curriculum vitae published by the Vatican, Apigo was born on May 21, 1968, in Calinan. The Daily Tribune put his age at 58.

He studied philosophy at Saint Francis Xavier College Seminary and theology at Saint Francis Xavier Major Seminary, both in Davao City, before earning a licentiate in Church history from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. CBCP News said he completed that degree in 2000.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Davao on April 18, 1994. His first assignment, from 1994 to 1996, was as parish vicar at San Pedro Cathedral, the seat of the archdiocese in downtown Davao City.

Most of his priestly career after that was spent at the Saint Francis Xavier Major Regional Seminary, often called by its acronym, REMASE. The Vatican lists his roles there as pastoral director from 1996 to 1997, professor from 2000 to 2001, coordinator from 2001 to 2002, vice rector and dean from 2002 to 2006, and rector from 2006. In 2014 he was also named episcopal vicar for the clergy of the archdiocese, a role that involves looking after the priests of the archdiocese on the archbishop's behalf.

Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Mati on Feb. 10, 2018. He was ordained a bishop on April 24 that year and, according to CBCP News, installed as the second bishop of Mati the following day.

That résumé tells a clear story. Apigo has spent much of his life inside the system that forms and supervises priests in this part of Mindanao, and he knows the Davao clergy from the inside, both as a teacher and as the archdiocese's point person for its priests.

The archbishop who is stepping down

Valles, who turned 75 in July, had led the Archdiocese of Davao since 2012, according to the Daily Tribune. CBCP News described his tenure as about 14 years.

Before Davao, he served as bishop of Kidapawan from 1997 to 2006 and then as archbishop of Zamboanga until his transfer to Davao. He was also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines from December 2017 to November 2021, a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic and its long restrictions on public worship. CBCP News noted that he marked the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination in April.

Under Church law, bishops submit their resignation when they reach 75, and the pope decides when to accept it. The pope accepted Valles's resignation on Nov. 9, the same day he named a successor, so there will be no extended vacancy at the top of the archdiocese.

Reaction from Mati

The Diocese of Mati, which Apigo is leaving, welcomed the news. In a statement quoted by the Daily Tribune, the diocese said the appointment "marks a new chapter in his journey of faith and service to the Church."

"We give thanks to God for his generous pastoral leadership, unwavering dedication, and faithful service to the people of the Diocese of Mati," the statement said. "As he embraces this new mission, may the Lord continue to guide him with wisdom, strengthen him with grace, and fill his heart with the love of Christ as he shepherds the Archdiocese of Davao."

The Vatican's announcement did not name a new bishop for Mati. Until one is appointed, the diocese will be without its own bishop once Apigo moves to Davao.

Analysis: continuity, with a local face

The appointment is, in many ways, a continuity choice. Apigo is not an outsider sent to shake up the archdiocese. He was ordained for Davao, served at its cathedral, ran its regional seminary and was its vicar for clergy. Most of the priests he will now lead either studied under him or worked with him.

That familiarity can cut both ways. It gives a new archbishop instant relationships and a working knowledge of parishes, personalities and problems. It can also raise expectations among clergy and laypeople who know him personally and will be watching for how he sets priorities.

His background in seminary formation is likely to draw attention. Rectors spend years deciding who is ready for ordination and how future priests are trained. For an archdiocese, that experience bears directly on the quality and supply of clergy, which affects how many parishes can be staffed and how well.

His experience in Mati also matters. Davao Oriental is a largely rural province on the Pacific side of Mindanao. Eight years as a diocesan bishop there gave Apigo direct responsibility for a whole local Church, from finances to parish assignments, which is a different job from teaching or supervising priests.

The move also reflects a pattern in which the Philippine Church draws leaders from within regions. Apigo's path, from Calinan to Rome and back, and then from Davao to Mati and back again, keeps leadership of the Davao province in the hands of someone formed by it.

What it means for Davao

For ordinary Catholics in Davao City, little will change overnight. Parishes will keep their schedules, and the archdiocese's offices will keep running. The visible changes will come after the installation, when Apigo begins making his own appointments, setting pastoral priorities and speaking publicly on issues that affect the city.

Davao is a place where the Church's public voice is closely watched. The city sits at the center of national political attention as the home base of the Duterte family, and Mindanao continues to deal with poverty, displacement from disasters and the legacy of armed conflict. How the new archbishop chooses to engage on public questions, and how often, will be one of the first things observers in the city watch for.

What's next

• Installation date: No date has been announced for Apigo's installation as archbishop of Davao. The archdiocese is expected to set and publicize the ceremony, which traditionally takes place at San Pedro Cathedral.
• Leadership in Mati: The Vatican's Nov. 9 announcement did not name a successor in Mati. A new bishop for the Davao Oriental diocese will be a separate papal appointment.
• First priorities: Once installed, Apigo is expected to make his first appointments and lay out pastoral priorities for the archdiocese and, as metropolitan, to coordinate with the bishops of Digos, Mati and Tagum.
• Valles's next role: As a retired archbishop, Valles will become archbishop emeritus of Davao. The announcements reviewed for this report did not say where he will live or what work he will take on.

Sources

• Holy See Press Office, "Rinunce e nomine," Nov. 9, 2026: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/11/09/0888/01653.html
• CBCP News, "Pope appoints Bishop Apigo as new Davao archbishop," Nov. 9, 2026: https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/pope-appoints-bishop-apigo-as-new-davao-archbishop/
• GMA News Online, "New archbishop appointed for Davao by Pope Leo XIV," Nov. 9, 2026: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/1008894/new-archbishop-appointed-for-davao-by-pope-leo-xiv/story/
• The Manila Times, "Pope names Apigo Davao archbishop," Nov. 9, 2026: https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/11/09/news/national/pope-names-apigo-davao-archbishop/2465293
• Daily Tribune, "Pope appoints new Davao archbishop," Nov. 10, 2026: https://tribune.net.ph/2026/11/09/pope-appoints-new-davao-archbishop