Antonio Yapsutco Fortich (11 August 1913 – 2 July 2003) was the third

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Diocese of Bacolod The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Negros Occidental, Philippines. A suffragan of the Archdiocese of Jaro, its jurisdiction covers most of the northwestern towns and cities of the ...

. He is noted for being a social activist who fought for social justice in Negros. In 2018, Fortich was recognized by the Human Rights Victims' Claims Board as a Motu Proprio victim of the Martial Law Era.

Early years

Fortich was born on 11 August 1913, in Sibulan,

Negros Oriental Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...

. He attended elementary and high school in

Dumaguete Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dumaguete; fil, Lungsod ng Dumaguete), is a 3rd income class component city and the capital of the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a p ...

, and pursued his college and theological studies at

Ateneo de Manila , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...

(San Jose Minor and San Jose Major seminaries). His parents, Ignacio and Rosalia Yapsutco Fortich, were well-to-do farmers and he was the eldest and only son in their family of two.

Priestly Ministry

On 4 March 1944, at the height of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Fortich was ordained by Michael J. O'Doherty,

Archbishop of Manila The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila ( lat, Archidioecesis Manilensis; fil, Arkidiyosesis ng Maynilà; es, Arquidiócesis de Manila) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing ...

. He served the Diocese of Bacolod under Bishop Casimiro Lladoc, assigning him as assistant parish priest of the

San Sebastian Cathedral The San Sebastian Cathedral is a late 19th-century church in Bacolod, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod. History A small village inhabited by Malayans called ''Magsungay'' was placed und ...

. In 1949, he was made parish priest of the San Isidro Labrador Parish in Binalbagan (which was then under the Diocese of Bacolod) until after a year and eight months when he was assigned back to Bacolod as parish priest of the diocesan cathedral. He was then appointed as Vicar General of the diocese under Bishop Manuel Yap on 31 December 1952.

Bishop of Bacolod

When Bishop Yap died on 16 October 1966, Fortich was assigned diocesan administrator while waiting the appointment of a new bishop. On 13 January 1967,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

appointed him as bishop of the diocese. His episcopate was marked with great concern and action towards the poor and oppressed of his diocese, which is in line with the church teaching of "

preferential option for the poor The option for the poor, or the preferential option for the poor, is one of the newer principles of the Catholic social teaching, as articulated in the latter half of the 20th century; it is also a theological emphasis in Methodism. The concept ...

". He was one of the first people to alert the government to the illegal activities of timber poachers, who had stripped hundreds of acres of

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

in Negros. He set up co-operatives composed of small landowners and sugar workers, in order to break the debt cycle suffered by Filipino sugar workers. In doing so, the bishop antagonized large landowners, including congressman Armando Gustilo, who at one stage tried to intimidate him by lobbing a hand grenade into his house.' His efforts was encouraged by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, who personally came to Bacolod and gave a speech to sugarcane workers, landowners, and the faithful of the diocese on 20 February 1981. In 1983, he led the diocese in celebration of its Golden Jubilee, with Cardinal Jaime Sin giving a speech for the occasion.

Retirement and death

Bishop Fortich resigned on 31 January 1989 after reaching the mandatory age of 75. He was succeeded by Bishop Camilo Gregorio, then Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu. He supported the election of

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

as president of the Philippines, and when it became clear that Estrada was using his position to accumulate personal wealth, the bishop withdrew his support. He died on 2 July 2003, aged 89. His requiem mass was attended by thousands of people, including former president

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

. He is buried in a tomb at the right side of the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod. In 2013, his remains were transferred to a side chapel of the same cathedral. BantayogWall20181115Alternativity-2003

Legacy

He was honoured as Domestic Prelate in 1958. Awarded by the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos the Honoris Causa: doctor of Philosophy for Humanitarian service in 1969. His name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Philippines'

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 dictatorship of for ...

(Monument of Heroes), in recognition of his opposition to the excesses of the 21-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

References