Bishop Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David from Caloocan has been named a cardinal by Pope Francis.
The announcement was made on Sunday, October 6, 2024, with Pope Francis calling out the names of the 21 new cardinals of the Catholic Church from a small balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
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The selected individuals came from different countries, including Belgian Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu from Tehran, Iran.
The new cardinals would receive their red hats during a Vatican ceremony, known as a consistory, on December 8, which coincides with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
THE POWER TO CHOOSE THE POPE'S SUCCESSOR
Cardinals rank just below the pope in the church hierarchy, occupy senior positions within the Vatican, and serve as the pope's primary advisers.
Plus, the cardinals play a crucial role in selecting the next pope through their votes.
Pablo, 65, will join the ranks of active Filipino cardinals, including Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who serves in the Vatican.
The other living cardinals in the country are Gaudencio Rosales, the archbishop emeritus of Manila, and Orlando Quevedo, the archbishop emeritus of Cotabato.
Both men are over 80 years old, making them ineligible to participate in the election of the new pope.
WHO IS BISHOP AMBO?
Pablo was born on March 2,1959, in Betis, Guagua in Pampanga.
He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Fernando in 1983.
In 2006, he assumed the role of auxiliary bishop of San Fernando, serving in that role until his transfer to the Caloocan diocese in 2015.
"A priest for 41 years and a bishop for 18, David is one of the country’s leading biblical scholars, holding a doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium," said an article on the website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Pablo has been the president of the CBCP since 2021.
He is also known for his hard stance and condemnation of the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Pablo called out the administration for the bloody campaign, pointing out that it turned his diocese into a "killing field."
His being vocal about his criticisms of the Duterte administration made him a target in the eyes of authorities.
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During a campaign sortie in Malabon for a local candidate in April 2019, Duterte insulted Pablo by calling him "son of a whore."
The bishop shot back at Duterte by posting on Facebook (published as is): “He called me a son of a whore for allegedly attacking him from the Church pulpit, which I have never ever done.
“The pulpit is never for that purpose. Unless, of course, he thinks that calling for an end to violence and extrajudicial killing in my diocese is tantamount to attacking him.”
In July 2019, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed charges against Pablo and fellow bishops Honesto Ongtioco and Socrates Villegas, along with other critics, allegedly for "sedition, cyber libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice."
All charges were dismissed in 2020.