MANILA (PHILIPPINES)
CBCP News Service (Catholic Bishops of the Philippines)
October 16, 2026
By Roy Lagarde
A Catholic bishop has urged Church safeguarding officers to build a lasting culture of transparency and accountability, saying their mission must go beyond exposing abuse to preventing it.
Bishop Dennis Villarojo of Malolos said safeguarding officers must ensure that no part of the Church remains hidden from scrutiny, especially where children and vulnerable adults may be at risk.
“Our duty as safeguarding officers is not so much to uncover hidden rocks, but to allow the light to scatter the darkness,” Villarojo said in a homily Friday at Sta. Maria Goretti Parish Church in Manila.
Villarojo, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Episcopal Office for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons, delivered the homily during the closing Mass of a four-day national safeguarding meeting.
He said safeguarding officers must initially uncover hidden problems, but their long-term mission is to sustain systems that prevent abuse and promote integrity throughout Church institutions.
“When systems have become functional and safeguarding has taken root as a culture within the Church,” he said, the task becomes keeping the light burning in every corner.
Villarojo compared their work to opening windows and curtains each morning to let sunlight and fresh air drive away darkness and expose what remains hidden.
Although safeguarding work often goes unnoticed, he said, it is essential to keep maintaining the Church’s integrity and ensuring its institutions remain safe.
He also urged participants to bring the lessons and ideas from the gathering into their respective ministries, helping spread a shared commitment to protecting vulnerable people.
The Oct. 13-16 “National Guidelines Framework Write-Shop” brought more than 200 Church representatives together to develop a common framework for safeguarding practices across the Philippines.
In his opening address, Villarojo said the framework aims to establish consistent, transparent and survivor-centered safeguarding standards across Church institutions, emphasizing protection, accountability and compassionate care.
The proposed guidelines seek to align the Holy See’s Universal Guidelines Framework with canon law, Philippine laws and relevant psychological and legal intervention practices.
The framework is expected to establish common standards for prevention, formation, response, survivor support and accountability while allowing dioceses to adapt the guidelines to local conditions.
Villarojo stressed that the framework would not impose a single policy on every diocese. Each local Church jurisdiction would remain responsible for developing and implementing its own safeguarding policy.
The draft framework is expected to be submitted to the bishops’ plenary assembly in January 2027 for approval before becoming an official reference for safeguarding efforts in the Philippine Church.