The Roman Catholic Prelature of Isabela de Basilan
Basilan is just a small island located at the tip and southwest of the Philippine archipelago. With a land area of 442 square miles and with more or less 459,367 inhabitants, 124,029 of which are Christians, and the rest are Muslims.
The Prelature of Isabela de Basilan was created on October 12, 1963, and its titular patroness is Sta. Isabel de Portugal (St. Elizabeth of Portugal, Queen. Feast day is July 08), and the Immaculate Heart of Mary as the Secondary Patroness. The Most Rev. Leo M. Dalmao, CMF DD is the 4th Bishop Prelate of our Prelature.
At present, the Prelature has 10 parishes.
Parishes/Convents that do not receive subsidy from the office of the Bishop: 1. Sta. Isabel de Portugal Cathedral Parish (Isabela) 2. St. Peter the Apostle Parish (Lamitan) 3. Convent of the Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary (Lamitan)
Parishes/ Convents that receive subsidy from the office of the Bishop: ($50-$100 a month)
1. Sto. Rosario Parish, Begang 2. San Antonio de Padua Parish, Sta. Clara 3. Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, Look 4. San Vicente Ferrer Parish, Tumahubong 5. Immaculate Heart f Mary Parish, Maluso 6. San Roque Parish, Tairan 7. San Vicente Ferrer Parish, Matarling 8. Sta. Teresa De Avila Parish, Cabunbata 9. Convent of the Oblates of Notre Dame, Isabela 10. Monastery of the Poor Clare Nuns, Tabiawan 11. Convent of the Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary, Isabela 12. Convent of the Missionary Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, Isabela
Ours is just a small island, but we gained an International attention beginning the year 2001 because of the notoriety of the infamous Abu Sayyaff Group (ASG), who kidnapped Martin and Gracia Burnham, and some business men from Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan.
The ASG has been designated as a terrorist Group by the United Nations. This merciless International Terrorist Group, who are on drugs, are responsible not only for the numerous deaths of our soldiers and policemen but also for the kidnappings of priests and church lay workers and the bombing of our parish churches and cathedral. I said merciless because they rape and torture their victims and sometimes they put on videos those victims they are beheading while shouting Allah Huakbar (Allah is Great)
In 1985- a spanish claretian priest, Fr. Eduardo Monje was kidnapped
October 1992- an American Franciscan, Bro.Augustine Frasczack was kidnapped for 65 days. March 16, 1993 – the group bombed three (3) establishments in the island
March 17, 1993 – a boat with five (5) teachers on board was shot.
March 18, 1993 – another Spanish Claretian Priest, Fr. Bernardo Blanco, was kidnapped.
June 08, 1994 – Fr. Cirilo Nacorda, a diocesan priest from Basilan was kidnapped and fifteen (15) of his companions were beheaded and twenty five (25) others were held captive, and were released a month later.
February 14, 1999- a group of our catechists and lay leaders who were on their way to attend a seminar was ambushed. The rebels thought that the Claretian priest was driving the car.
March 2000- Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, a claretian priest, together with a group of teachers and students were kidnapped. The teachers were raped in front of the priest, and they tortured him by pulling out his nails, the poor priest died.
June 2001- they kidnapped Martin and Gracia Burnham. The ASG brought the hostages to the island and the famous Lamitan Siege happened. They came to our hospital, they hostage some of the nurses and patients. They desecrated our parish church and mutilated religious images. They even desecrated our adoration Chapel, a rebel defecated in front of the Blessed Sacrament. - 1 nurse, 1 parish driver, 1 security guard, and 1 altar boy died. Some farmers from other area were beheaded. - April 13, 2010 – they bombed our Cathedral, they also massacred 11 people
June 2011- an incendiary bomb exploded a block away from the cathedral.
Good Friday 2012- they planted a 4kg improvised explosive device intended for the parishioners who were doing the Stations of the Cross on the city streets.
March 15, 2015 – the gate of St. Peter the Apostle Parish was bombed.
May 2015, the ASG raised the ISIS flag in one of our far-flung municipalities, seeking the support and recognition of the ISIS Terrorist Group.
June 05, 2015 – Two bombs exploded in Maluso Municipality destroying the 2 water pipes that supply the potable water for the community
April 18, 2016 – the ASG beheaded the Canadian kidnap victim John Ridsdel
May 2016 – 3 bombs exploded in Lamitan City to divert the attention of the military who were conducting the operation in Tipo-Tipo Basilan.
February 27, 2017 – they beheaded the German kidnap Victim Jurgen Kantner
July 05, 2017 – they beheaded the 2 Vietnamese kidnapped victims in the island
July 28, 2017 – they beheaded 5 local men who were hunting for wild pigs in the area.
July 31, 2018- bombing in a checkpoint of Lamitan, that killed men, women and children
February 16-17, 2021 – Tuesday and Ash Wednesday – 3 chapel were desecrated. Statues were smashed and thrown outside the chapel.
Our list of atrocious incidents is getting longer, and we are not enumerating these incidents to scare everyone else. We are sharing our pains, fears and struggles. We are sharing our experiences that you may have an idea how difficult it is to live and grow up in a rebel- infested island, and to grow in a culture of death and violence.
Our local church is continuously working for peace, for healing and reconciliation through Inter-Religious Dialogue, even if we are given one wound after the other, even if the wounding never seem to stop. We are struggling to rebuild and recover even if we are shattered again and again. We strive to preserve and strengthen our faith, that despite all these, the CROSS of JESUS CHRIST continues to stand still in the island of Basilan. They ordered us to take away the cross in our churches but we didn’t and will never ever yield to their demand.
We are always begging to be included in the Missionary Cooperative Plan to do the Annual Mission Appeal so we can sustain all our programs in the Church, to continue the preservation and evangelization of faith, and to maintain the Catholic presence in the island.
We need at least Php 2,500,000.00 = $50,000 every year to be able to implement and sustain our programs in the Prelature. Your support will be for the sustenance of the 8 small parishes, especially, those situated in far-flung and critical areas, for the monthly subsidies of the priests and convents of the religious sisters and contemplative nuns. Also for the sustenance of the:
a. Children Catechetical Program d. Prelature Bible Apostolate b. Diocesan Youth Formation Program e. Social Action Ministry c. Family and Life Apostolate f. Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue
Island of Basilan