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Miguel Gatan Purugganan (November 18, 1931 – July 8, 2011) was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of
Ilagan Ilagan, officially the City of Ilagan (; ; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 158,218 people making it the most populous city in the province and ...
and became a prominent critic of the dictatorship of 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 ...
during the Martial Law era.


Early life and education

Miguel Gatan Purugganan was born in
Cabagan, Isabela Cabagan, officially the Municipality of Cabagan (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,897 people. Etymology The name Cabagan may have originated from the nat ...
on November 18, 1931. He entered into a seminary in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and continued to 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
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
before he was ordained in 1957. Subsequently, he took a doctorate degree in canon law at the
Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyola, and included all ...
in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, attaining ''summa cum laude''. He then took another doctorate degree in theology, but was ordered to return to the Philippines before he could finish it.


Priesthood

Purugganan started as seminary prefect of discipline. He eventually became bishop’s secretary, assistant parish priest, seminar rector, vicar-general of the diocese of Tuguegarao, auxiliary bishop of the
diocese of Nueva Segovia The Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. It covers the province of Ilocos Sur, on the island of Luzon. The see of the archdiocese is the city of Vigan. The archdiocese was erected in 1595 in ...
, and from 1974 to 1999, bishop of the diocese of Ilagan. Aged 39, he was one of the youngest bishops in the country. He was chair of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (abbreviated as CBCP) is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their terr ...
‘s commission on lay apostolate, and a member of the CBCP’s commissions on canon law and social action, in addition to being a member of its Permanent Council.


Social work

Purugganan was heavily involved in social action work and defending human rights during the Marcos regime, being one of seven bishops who denounced it and
martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...
who became known as the “Magnificent Seven.” Purugganan opened diocesan programs to respond to the regime’s repressive policies, particularly to help the poor defend themselves against abuses. Among these programs was the Community-Based Health and Development Program (CBHDP). He built up his diocesan staff for social action in the communities, arousing the suspicion of the military, which believed that they were fronting for the
New People’s Army The New People's Army (; abbreviation, abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the pre ...
. When some of them were arrested for their work, Purugganan confronted officers at their barracks and demanded their release. Purugganan provided support for some 20,0000 peasants who were farming an 11,000 hectare-tract of land spanning the Haciendas San Antonio and Santa Isabel in
Ilagan Ilagan, officially the City of Ilagan (; ; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 158,218 people making it the most populous city in the province and ...
, which was being claimed for large-scale commercial agribusiness purposes by Marcos cronies Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco and Antonio Carag, who in turn were supported by Marcos who sent soldiers to intimidate the residents. In response, many church people, led by Purugganan himself, gave aid and support to the farmers. The Bishop placed the entire social action network under his office to help the farmers’ struggles. In December 1981, he led over 50 priests, nuns and journalists to visit the haciendas in defiance of soldiers and private guards who tried to keep them out. The Marcos government retaliated by placing Purugganan and his staff under military surveillance. Days after the
Aquino assassination Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., a former Philippine senator, was assassinated on Sunday, August 21, 1983, on the apron of Manila International Airport (now named Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor). A longtime political opponent of ...
in 1983, soldiers raided his residence in Ilagan and a nearby nuns’ residence in an unsuccessful attempt to find weapons and wanted persons. Purugganan denounced these raids and continued in his advocacy, even after the collapse of the Marcos regime in 1986. He later successfully campaigned against the proposal to divide the province of
Isabela Isabela may refer to: People with the given name * Isabela Boscov, Brazilian film critic * Isabela Corona (1913–1993), Mexican actress * Isabela Garcia (born 1967), Brazilian actress * Isabela Moraes (born 1980), Brazilian synchronized swimmer ...
into two separate provinces in a 1995 plebiscite, which had been criticized as an attempt at gerrymandering by ruling political dynasties. Purugganan also helped found the Basic Christian Communities – Community Organizing (BCC-CO) program, serving as its chair. It became one of the most effective ways that church people empowered communities by teaching people their rights and interests, urging them to struggle for their demands, and to resist martial law. The BCC-CO encouraged communities to make the regime accountable for its excesses, and often led demands to stop militarization in the countryside.


Death

Purugganan died due to cardiac arrest on July 8, 2011, at the Saint Paul Hospital in
Tuguegarao Tuguegarao ( or ), officially the City of Tuguegarao (; ; ; ), is a 2nd class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 ...
City,
Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...
.


Legacy

In recognition of his efforts, his name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the
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 ...
in
Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
, which honors the heroes and martyrs who fought the
Marcos dictatorship At 7:15 p.m. on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the Philippines under martial law, stating he had done so in response to the "communist threat" posed by the newly founded Communist Party ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purugganan, Miguel Gatan 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines People from Isabela (province) 1931 births 2011 deaths Religious workers honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Northern Luzon during martial law under Ferdinand Marcos Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani