Kabankalan: Jaro Archbishop Midyphil Billones has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Kabankalan.

According to Philippines News Agency, Billones' appointment was announced in a letter from the Dicastery for Bishops dated August 11 and made public Friday. Kabankalan is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Jaro, part of the ecclesiastical province covering Western Visayas.

As apostolic administrator, Billones will oversee the diocese in a caretaker capacity until a new bishop is appointed and installed. Billones, a former auxiliary bishop of Cebu, has served as archbishop of Jaro since April 2025.

The move follows the installation Tuesday of Bishop Louie Galbines as bishop of Bacolod, months after the Holy Father transferred him from Kabankalan, where he served for about eight years. Galbines succeeds retired Bishop Patricio Buzon, who served the Bacolod diocese for a decade.