Socrates B. Villegas, D.D.

His Excellency, Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, D.D., is the Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, a position he has held since 2009. He previously served as Bishop of Balanga (2004–2009) and Auxiliary Bishop of Manila (2001–2004). He served as President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) from 2013 to 2017 and has chaired the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education. He has also served as President of the Asia-Oceania Mariological Society and as a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Archbishop Villegas has published several books of homilies and spiritual reflections and has contributed to the drafting of CBCP statements. Before becoming a bishop, he served as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Manila and, for nineteen years, as personal secretary to the late Jaime Cardinal Sin. During this period, he developed a friendship with Fr. Catalino G. Arévalo, SJ, who served Cardinal Sin as theological consultant and writer.