Miguel G. Purugganan | |||||||||||||||
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| Bishop of Ilagan | |||||||||||||||
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| Province | Tuguegarao | ||||||||||||||
| See | Ilagan | ||||||||||||||
| Appointed | January 21, 1974 | ||||||||||||||
| Term ended | July 26, 1999 | ||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Francisco Raval Cruces | ||||||||||||||
| Successor | Sergio Lasam Utleg | ||||||||||||||
| Other post | Bishop Emeritus of Ilagan (1999–2011) | ||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1931-11-18)November 18, 1931 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | June 7, 2011(2011-06-07) (aged 79) Tuguegarao,Cagayan, Philippines | ||||||||||||||
| Motto | Ministrare (To Serve) | ||||||||||||||
Ordination history | |||||||||||||||
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| Styles of Miguel G. Purugganan | |
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Miguel Gatan Purugganan (November 18, 1931 – July 8, 2011)[1] was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Bishop ofIlagan and became a prominent critic of the dictatorship of PresidentFerdinand Marcos during theMartial Law era.[2]
Miguel Gatan Purugganan was born inCabagan, Isabela on November 18, 1931. He entered into a seminary inVigan, Ilocos Sur and continued to theUniversity of Santo Tomas inManila before he was ordained in 1957. Subsequently, he took a doctorate degree in canon law at theGregorian University inRome, attainingsumma cum laude. He then took another doctorate degree in theology, but was ordered to return to the Philippines before he could finish it.[1]
Purugganan started as seminary prefect of discipline. He eventually became bishop’s secretary, assistant parish priest, seminar rector, vicar-general of thediocese of Tuguegarao, auxiliary bishop of thediocese of Nueva Segovia, and from 1974 to 1999, bishop of thediocese of Ilagan. Aged 39, he was one of the youngest bishops in the country.[1]
He was chair of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines‘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.[1]
Purugganan was heavily involved in social action work and defending human rights during the Marcos regime, being one of seven bishops who denounced it andmartial law who became known as the “Magnificent Seven.”[1]
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 theNew People’s Army. When some of them were arrested for their work, Purugganan confronted officers at their barracks and demanded their release.[1]
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 inIlagan,[3] which was being claimed for large-scale commercial agribusiness purposes by Marcos croniesEduardo “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.[1]
The Marcos government retaliated by placing Purugganan and his staff under military surveillance. Days after theAquino assassination 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.[1] He later successfully campaigned against the proposal to divide the province ofIsabela into two separate provinces in a 1995 plebiscite, which had been criticized as an attempt at gerrymandering by ruling political dynasties.[4]
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.[1]
Purugganan died due to cardiac arrest on July 8, 2011, at the Saint Paul Hospital inTuguegarao City,Cagayan.[5]
In recognition of his efforts, his name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at theBantayog ng mga Bayani inQuezon City, which honors the heroes and martyrs who fought theMarcos dictatorship.[6][7]
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