MANILA — Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Daniel Presto from the Diocese of Iba, Zambales as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of San Fernando, La Union.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) made the announcement on its news website on Thursday.
Presto replaces Rodolfo Beltran, who headed the diocese for about four years until his death in last year.
Before his new duty, Presto has been serving as the administrator in Iba.
Since 2012, he has been based in San Antonio town as parish priest, and as a member of the Presbyteral Council and various diocesan commissions.
He was born in Mangaldan, Pangasinan on April 7, 1963. After high school, he attended courses in philosophy and theology at the San Carlos Seminary in Makati City.
Presto was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Iba in 1990, at the age of 27. He has a master’s degree in education from the De La Salle University of Manila.
He also served as vicar of the Saint Rita parish in Olongapo City and the Saint Michael parish in Santa Cruz, Zambales and as president of the Columban Center in Olongapo City between 1993 and 2005.
From 2005 to 2012, the priest was the vicar forane of the Saint Joseph Vicariate, director of the Saint Augustine School of Iba, and president of the Magsaysay Memorial College of San Narciso. PNA-northboundasia.com