Bishop Bastes elected President-Chairman of the Philippine Bible Society Board
The Philippine Bible Society (PBS) Board of Trustees has elected Sorsogon Bishop Arturo M. Bastes, S.V.D. as its new president and chairman. Bishop Bastes election was held during the Board of Trustees meeting at the PBS 43rd Annual Membership Meeting on April 19, 2008. Bishop Bastes is currently the chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). He is also the Moderator of the Executive Committee of the Catholic Biblical Federation.
The PBS 18-member board has five members each from the Roman Catholic Church, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, and three members from independent churches.
The Executive Committee of the Board for 2008-2009 is as follows: Bsp. Arturo M. Bastes, President and Chairman; Bsp. Cesar P. Punzalan III, Vice President and Vice Chairman (Deputy General Secretary, PCEC); Atty. Robinson A. Landicho, Corporate Secretary (Court Atty. V, Supreme Court); Ambassador Henrietta T. de Villa, member-at-large (Chairperson, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting); Mr. James Y. Tioco, member- at- large (Founder, Sowers of the Word).
Other Trustees include: Rev. Valentin C. Chaves (President, Foursquare Churches in the Philippines), Mr. Rene E. Cristobal (Owner, DCL Corporation); Dr. Jonathan D. Exiomo (President, Alliance Graduate School); Dr. Philip C. Flores, (Coordinator, TOPIC Philippines); Miss Amelita M. Herrer (General Manager, UST Cooperative); Most Rev. Bsp. Broderick S. Pabillo D.D (Auxiliary Bishop of Manila); Atty. Editha A. Santos (Partner, Ocampo, Santos and Associates); Mr. Stanley C. Sy; (Vice-President, Jollibee Food Corporation), Rev. Marie Sol Sioco-Villalon (United Methodist Church; Bishop Nathanael P. Lazaro (Chairman, National Council of Churches in the Philippines); Mrs. Myrna Raquel G. Cuejillo (UMC) ; Mr. Dante M. Lanorio (Owner, Good News Travel) and Mr. Albert S. Tanlimco (Church Administrator, Chosen Generation Christian Fellowship).
Bishop Bastes was born on April 1, 1944 in Loboc, Bohol. He entered the Christ the King Mission Seminary in Quezon City after graduating from grade school. He pursued philosophy studies and obtained his Bachelor and Masteral degrees from the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay City, and was sent to Rome, where he obtained his Licentiate degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and his Licentiate in Sacred Scriptures from the Pontifical Bible Institute.
He was ordained to the priesthood on November 28, 1970 by Pope Paul VI during his apostolic visit to the Philippines in that year. He was ordained Bishop on August 21, 1997 in Cebu City. His previous assignments include: professor of the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay City; pastor of the parishes of Del Carmen and Sta. Monica in Surigao del Norte; district superior of the SVD Surigao District; professor of the Regional Major Seminary in Davao City; director of the Paul VI Biblical Center in Davao City; and Episcopal Vicar of Siargao.