Antonio Yapsutco Fortich (11 August 1913 – 2 July 2003) was the third bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod. He is noted for being a social activist who fought for social justice in Negros. In 2018, Fortich was recognized by the Human Rights Victims' Claims Board as a Motu Proprio victim of the Martial Law Era.

Early years

Fortich was born on 11 August 1913, in Sibulan, Negros Oriental. He attended elementary and high school in

Dumaguete Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...

, and pursued his college and theological studies at Ateneo de Manila (San Jose Minor and San Jose Major seminaries). His parents, Ignacio and Rosalia Yapsutco Fortich, were well-to-do farmers and he was the eldest and only son in their family of two.

Priestly Ministry

On 4 March 1944, at the height of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Fortich was ordained by Michael J. O'Doherty,

Archbishop of Manila The Archdiocese of Manila (; ; ) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church, Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Catholic Church in the Philippines, Philippines, encompassing the cities of Manila, ...

. He served the Diocese of Bacolod under Bishop Casimiro Lladoc, assigning him as assistant parish priest of the San Sebastian Cathedral. In 1949, he was made parish priest of the San Isidro Labrador Parish in Binalbagan (which was then under the Diocese of Bacolod) until after a year and eight months when he was assigned back to Bacolod as parish priest of the diocesan cathedral. He was then appointed as Vicar General of the diocese under Bishop Manuel Yap on 31 December 1952.

Bishop of Bacolod

When Bishop Yap died on 16 October 1966, Fortich was assigned diocesan administrator while waiting the appointment of a new bishop. On 13 January 1967,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

appointed him as bishop of the diocese. His episcopate was marked with great concern and action towards the poor and oppressed of his diocese, which is in line with the church teaching of "

preferential option for the poor The option for the poor, or the preferential option for the poor, is a Catholic social teaching that the Bible gives priority to the well-being of the poor and powerless. It was first articulated by the proponents of Latin American liberation th ...

". He was one of the first people to alert the government to the illegal activities of timber poachers, who had stripped hundreds of acres of forest in Negros. He set up co-operatives composed of small landowners and sugar workers, to break the debt cycle suffered by Filipino sugar workers. In doing so, the bishop antagonized large landowners, including congressman Armando Gustilo, who at one stage tried to intimidate him by lobbing a

hand grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

into his house.' His efforts was encouraged by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, who personally came to Bacolod and gave a speech to sugarcane workers, landowners, and the faithful of the diocese on 20 February 1981. In 1983, he led the diocese in celebration of its Golden Jubilee, with Cardinal Jaime Sin giving a speech for the occasion.

Retirement and death

Bishop Fortich resigned on 31 January 1989 after reaching the mandatory age of 75. He was succeeded by Bishop Camilo Gregorio, then Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu. He supported the election of

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...

as president of the Philippines, and when it became clear that Estrada was using his position to accumulate personal wealth, the bishop withdrew his support. He died on 2 July 2003, aged 89. His requiem mass was attended by thousands of people, including former president

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

. He is buried in a tomb at the right side of the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod. In 2013, his remains were transferred to a side chapel of the same cathedral. BantayogWall20181115Alternativity-2003

Legacy

He was honoured as Domestic Prelate in 1958. Awarded by the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos the

Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

: doctor of Philosophy for Humanitarian service in 1969. His name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Philippines'

Bantayog ng mga Bayani The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the Martial law under F ...

(Monument of Heroes), in recognition of his opposition to the excesses of the 21-year dictatorship of

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 ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortich, Antonio 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines Ateneo de Manila University alumni People from Negros Oriental Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos Political repression in the Philippines 1913 births 2003 deaths People from Bacolod Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Roman Catholic bishops of Bacolod Religious workers honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani