Archbishop Gilbert Armea Garcera

Archbishop Gilbert Armea Garcera, Archbishop of Lipa, was born on February 2, 1959, in Magarao, Camarines Sur, in the Archdiocese of Caceres. He completed his secondary studies at Holy Rosary Minor Seminary in Naga City and his philosophical and theological studies at Holy Rosary Major Seminary in the same place, and subsequently specialised in catechetics, obtaining a master's degree from the Ateneo de Manila. He was ordained a priest for Caceres on May 29, 1983. After two years as parochial vicar at the cathedral church, he served from 1987 to 2002 as director of catechetical ministry of the Archdiocese of Caceres, contributing decisively to the translation of the Catechism for Filipino Catholics into Bicolano. During the same period he served as head of the diocesan office for communications, a member of the diocesan pastoral council, and administrative director of Radio Veritas Asia in Manila. He was parish priest of St. Francis of Assisi in Naga City (1998-2002) and assistant to the secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (2003-2005). From 2004 he served as national director for the Philippines of the Pontifical Mission Societies and as a member of their supreme committee. On April 4, 2007, he was appointed Bishop of Daet. He received episcopal ordination on June 29, 2007, with Leonardo Zamora Legaspi as principal consecrator and Benjamin de Jesus Almoneda and Orlando Beltran Quevedo as co-consecrators, and he was installed on June 30, 2007. On February 2, 2017, he was appointed Archbishop of Lipa, and he was installed on April 21, 2017.