Elias Lumayog Ayuban Jr. (born January 1, 1968) is a Filipino

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He is the second Bishop of Cubao since December 2024, succeeding

Honesto Ongtioco Honesto "Nes" Flores Ongtioco (born October 17, 1948) is a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Cubao from August 28, 2003 until his retirement was accepted on October 4, 2024. Prior t ...

. He is a priest of the

religious order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...

commonly known as the

Claretians The Claretians, officially named the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (; abbreviated CMF), is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men headquartered in Rome. It was f ...

, formally the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Early life and education

Bishop Ayuban was born on January 1, 1968 on

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

in the town of

Parang Parang is a popular folk music originating from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago that was brought to Trinidad and Tobago by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian, Spanish, Mestizo, Pardo, and African heritage, something whic ...

then in the historical province of

Cotabato Cotabato, formerly and still commonly referred to as North Cotabato and officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen Regions of the Philippines, regi ...

, now

Maguindanao del Norte Maguindanao del Norte, officially the Province of Maguindanao del Norte (, Jawi: دَاِيْرَتْ نُوْ اُوْتَرَ مَڬِنْدَنَوْ; , ڤروبنسيا ا ڤڠوترن مڬیندانو ), is a province in the Philippines l ...

. He studied philosophy at the Saint Anthony Mary Claret College and theology at the Ateneo de Manila University, both in Quezon City. In 2003, he received a doctorate in canon law from the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

in Rome.

Ministry

Priesthood

Ayuban gave his religious vows on July 16, 1995. He was ordained as a priest on March 9, 1996, in Quezon City. His first assignment was as the parish priest of the Risen Christ in Tungawan what was then part of

Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga del Sur ( Cebuano: ''Habagatang Zamboanga;'' Subanen: ''S'helatan Sembwangan/Sembwangan dapit Shelatan''; , Jawi: سلاتن سامبواڠن; ), officially the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located i ...

from 1996 to 2000. He took up various positions locally and in the Vatican. Ayuban also held academic roles, including at the Institute for Consecrated Life Asia and the Claret Theology House in Quezon City, and the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

. In January 2019, Ayuban was elected as the

provincial superior A provincial superior is an officer of a religious institute (including religious orders) acting under the institute's Superior General. A provincial superior exercises general supervision over all the members of that institute in a territorial ...

of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines, succeeding Eduardo Apungan. On November 20, 2021, Ayuban and the Claretian Missionaries renamed their province in honor of

Rhoel Gallardo Rhoel Dayap Gallardo (November 29, 1965 – May 3, 2000) was a Filipino Catholic priest. Known as the "Little Claret" owing to his small size and saintly manner, he joined the Claretians in 1988 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1994. He w ...

, a

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloquial ...

priest who was abducted by rebel forces in

Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...

in 2000. In October 2024, following Ayuban's appointment as Bishop of Cubao, he was succeeded by Amador Tumbaga. In July 2022, he was elected co-chairperson of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines (CMSP).

Episcopate

On October 4, 2024,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed Ayuban as the second bishop of Diocese of Cubao, succeeding Bishop

.Filipino Claretian bishop installed as bishop after Leo Dalmao of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan. José María Querejeta, a

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern Nation state, nation-state of Spain. Genetics, Genetically and Ethnolinguisti ...

, is the first ever Claretian bishop assigned to a bishop role in the Philippines, also in Basilan. Ayuban's episcopal

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

and canonical installation took place at

Cubao Cathedral The Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Cubao, commonly known as Cubao Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It is the Episcopal see, episcopal seat of the Roman Catholicism in the Phil ...

on December 3, 2024, coinciding with the feast of Saint

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

Political positions

Ayuban publicly makes his positions in sociopolitical issues through editorials and social media posts. He wrote a critical piece against then-president

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

for the executive's remarks of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

being "stupid" in a 2018 column in '' La Croix International''. He supported then-vice president

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; Gerona; born April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She is the mayor-elect of Naga, Camarines Sur, having won the ...

's presidential campaign for the 2022 election. In contrast, Ayuban posted #NeverAgain in reaction to

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...

' win, a reference to the dictatorship of his father, former president

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

. Writing for the CBCP, Ayuban also made his position against legalizing civil divorce in the Philippines known.

References

External links

Bishop Elias Lumayog Ayuban, Jr., C.M.F.

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayuban, Elias 1968 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines People from Maguindanao del Norte Ateneo de Manila University alumni Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Claretian bishops