Buenaventura Famadico

Famadico was born on July 13, 1956, in Banton, Romblon. He completed his elementary education at Roxas Central School in 1969 and his secondary education at St. Augustine Seminary in Calapan in 1973. He pursued his philosophical and theological studies at Divine Word Seminary, completing them in 1977 and 1984, respectively. == Priesthood ==

Famadico was ordained a priest on October 25, 1983. Following his ordination, he served as Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph Parish from 1984 to 1985. He then became the Spiritual Director of St. Augustine Major Seminary from 1986 to 1991. Between 1991 and 1997, he served as Director of St. Augustine House of Spirituality and was also the Chaplain of St. Anne Chaplaincy from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 1997, he was the Parish Priest of Holy Spirit Parish. In 1998, he became the Parish Priest of Sto. Niño Parish in Calapan City, serving until 2002. == Episcopal ministry ==

On April 6, 2002, he was appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of Lipa and was consecrated on June 19, 2002, by Archbishop Antonio Franco. On June 11, 2003 he was appointed as the second bishop of Gumaca. He was installed as Bishop of Gumaca on July 14, 2003, at San Diego de Alcala Cathedral. His appointment was seen as a response to the clergy’s desire for a young, dynamic bishop who could lead them in building a participatory Church of the poor. As Bishop of San Pablo, Famadico took decisive steps to address clergy misconduct by establishing the Office for the Reception of Reports Pertaining to Sexual Abuse by Clergy and Religious. This initiative was partly in response to Pope Francis’ 2019 document , which set new procedural norms for handling sexual abuse cases in the Church. Famadico emphasized that the diocese was committed to ensuring strict confidentiality and encouraging victims to report crimes without fear. He acknowledged the painful reality that some clergy members had caused scandal and despair, vowing to uphold accountability in line with papal directives. On September 21, 2023, Pope Francis accepted his resignation for health reasons, and appointed Mylo Hubert Vergara, Bishop of Pasig, as the apostolic administrator of the diocese. Marcelino Antonio Maralit, Bishop of Boac, was named as Famadico's successor in 2024. == References ==