Pope Francis appoints Dumagete priest as Ipil bishop

MANILA, Philippines — After nearly two years "sede vacante," the Diocese of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay has a new bishop.

Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor Glenn Montebon Corsiga, a veteran Dumaguete-based priest, to the apostolic seat, the Holy See Press Office announced on April 15 (Manila time).

Corsiga replaces Archbishop Julius Tonel, who led Ipil until his appointment as Archbishop of Zamboanga in 2023. Since Tonel’s transfer, Monsignor Elizar Cielo has served as diocesan administrator.

The diocese’s ecclesiastical seat is the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Worker.

Who is Bishop-Elect Glenn Corsiga?

Born in Dumaguete City on January 21, 1965, Corsiga studied philosophy at Saint Joseph Seminary College in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, and theology at the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dumaguete on December 14, 1993.

He was ordained priest on Dec. 14, 1993, for the Dumagete diocese where he currently serves.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI also named him a papal chaplain, granting him the honorary title of “monsignor.”

Corsiga's past roles include serving as parish priest of St. James the Greater in Tanjay from 2014 to 2020 and as episcopal vicar of the diocese’s north district from 2014 to 2017.

His current positions are vicar general of the diocese, a role he has held since 2017 and parish priest of St. Augustine of Hippo Parish in Bacong, a town in Negros Oriental province, a position he assumed in 2020.