Ruben Edera Ecleo Sr. (December 9, 1934 – December 20, 1987) was a Filipino religious leader who founded the

Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association The Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, Inc. (PBMA) is a non-sectarian and non-profit charitable religious fraternal organization for men and women in the Philippines founded by Ruben Edera Ecleo Sr. (December 9, 1934 – December 2 ...

in 1965, and the mayor of the municipality of Dinagat,

Surigao del Norte Surigao del Norte ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Norte''; ; Tagalog: ''Hilagang Surigao''), officially the Province of Surigao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region of Mindanao. The province was fo ...

from 1963 up to 1987.

Early life

Ruben Ecleo Sr. was born on December 9, 1934, in Cabilan island in Dinagat, Surigao (now part of the

Dinagat Islands Dinagat Islands ( Cebuano: ''Mga Pulo sa Dinagat''; Surigaonon: ''Mga Puyo nan Dinagat''; Kabalian: ''Mga Puyo san Dinagat''; Waray: ''Mga Purô han Dinagat''; Filipino: ''Mga Islang Dinagat''), officially the Province of Dinagat Islands, is ...

province). He was baptized to the

Philippine Independent Church The Philippine Independent Church (; ), officially referred to by its Philippine Spanish name (IFI) and colloquially called the Aglipayan Church, is an independent catholic Christian denomination, in the form of a nationalist church, in the ...

at age one in the neighboring town of Surigao. His family moved the western portion of Dinagat island prior to 1941 in an area in Sitio Puyange which is now part of San Jose municipality.

Ministry work

Ecleo reportedly started his ministerial work at age eleven. He went to the United States in 1952 to undergo a months-long survey study tour before returning to the Philippines in 1953. He did mission work for the rest of the 1950s to the early 1960s, preaching in areas such as Davao,

Bukidnon Bukidnon (), officially the Province of Bukidnon (; ; ; Bukid language, Binukid and Higaonon language, Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindan ...

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

, and

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

. It was around this time that his followers believe that his healing powers surfaced. There were claims that he was able to cure illnesses and even raise people from the dead. In the early 1960s, he was able to amass his first followers who became known as the "First Thirteen" and he began using the title "Divine Master". He would formally establish the

(PBMA) in 1965. The group's belief is described as a mixture of Christian, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Akashic doctrines. He also held the title Supreme President within the PBMA. His son, Ruben Jr. succeeded him as leader of the PBMA after his death. A PBMA primer says that the group believes that Ecleo Sr. "reappeared" in the body of his successor son.

Political career

Ecleo was elected as Mayor of Dinagat,

in 1963. He would hold the position until his death in 1987.

Death

Ecleo died on December 20, 1987.

Personal life

Ecleo was married to Glenda Buray, who was a former member of the

Provincial Board from and a

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

member representing the 1st district of the same province He married Buray in 1955, and they had eight children. He had also a relationship with other women who were known to be his "spiritual wives" including Reyneria Borja, with whom he had two children, including Ruben Al.

References and sources

External links

All About the PBMA
- Unofficial website of Members of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, Inc. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ecleo Ruben 1935 births 1987 deaths People from Dinagat Islands Mayors of places in Dinagat Islands Ruben Filipino religious leaders Founders of new religious movements