23 September 2014 - Philippine Consul General Marciano R. De Borja called on the Most Reverend Anthony Sablan Apuron, O.F.M., Cap., D.D., Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Guam on September 18 at the Archbishop’s Chancery in Agana.
Consul General De Borja told the Archbishop that he wanted to personally introduce himself to him being the religious leader in Guam. Religion, especially the Catholic faith, is one important thing that binds the Filipinos and the people of Guam, and that is why he said that the Consulate General wants to keep the strong relationship with the Archdiocese of Guam. They also talked about the planned visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines in January 2015.
Consul General De Borja also discussed with the Archbishop some of his plans to further promote and enhance the Philippine relations with Guam, in particular to erect a new life-size statue of Apolinario Mabini, before the end of the year, to memorialize Mabini’s legacy and as part of the celebration of the Filipino hero’s 150th birth anniversary. He shared that Mabini is considered an important Filipino figure in Guam, as a hero and for having been exiled to the island by the Americans in the early 1900s. He extended the invitation to the Archbishop for the future inauguration of the said monument.
Archbishop Apuron thanked the Consul General for his call and expressed that he will gladly join the event to be organized by the Consulate General. He shared that one of his paternal ancestors is from Ilocos Sur--the reason why one mountain is included in his coat of arms, and that stands for his paternal ancestors from the Ilocos Sur region while the other one stands for his maternal ancestors from the high islands of the Marianas.
Archbishop Apuron was appointed Apostolic Administrator to the Archdiocese on 27 October 1985 and then as Metropolitan Archbishop of Agaña on 10 March 1986. He is a member of the Capuchins, a branch of the Franciscans. END