Bishop of Iba
Bishop Bartolome Gaspar Santos, Bishop of Iba, was born on December 1, 1967, in Santa Maria, Bulacan, in the Diocese of Malolos. After high school at Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Malolos and courses in philosophy and theology at the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, he obtained a licentiate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1999. He was ordained a priest for Malolos on August 27, 1992. He subsequently served as parochial vicar of San Pascual Baylon parish in Obando, Bulacan (1992-1994) and of San Isidro Labrador parish in Pulilan, Bulacan (1994-1995), and as spiritual director and professor at Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Malolos (1995-1996). Returning home after his studies in Rome, he continued in the same roles at Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary (1999-2005) before becoming its rector (2005-2009), and also served as episcopal vicar for religious (2005-2013). Appointed in 2009 rector and moderator of the pastoral team of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Valenzuela City, he became its parish priest in 2010. From 2013 he was vicar general of the Diocese of Malolos. On February 17, 2018, he was appointed Bishop of Iba. He received episcopal ordination on April 30, 2018, at Malolos, with Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle as principal consecrator and Florentino Galang Lavarias and José Francisco Oliveros as co-consecrators. He was installed as Bishop of Iba on May 25, 2018.