Miguel Purugganan

In thisPhilippine name,themiddle nameor maternalfamily nameisGatanand the surname or paternal family name isPurugganan.

The Most Reverend Miguel G. Purugganan
Bishop of Ilagan
Province	Tuguegarao
See	Ilagan
Appointed	January 21, 1974
Term ended	July 26, 1999
Predecessor	Francisco Raval Cruces
Successor	Sergio Lasam Utleg
Other post(s)	Bishop Emeritusof Ilagan (1999–2011)
Personal details
Born	(1931-11-18)November 18, 1931 Cabagan,Isabela,Philippine Islands
Died	June 7, 2011(2011-06-07)(aged 79) Tuguegarao,Cagayan,Philippines
Previous post(s)	Auxiliary BishopofNueva Segovia(1971–1974) Titular Bishopof Egnatia (1971–1974)
Motto	Ministrare (To Serve)
Ordination history
History Priestly ordination Date March 3, 1957 Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator Carmine Rocco Co-consecrators Juan Callanta Sison, Teodulfo Sabugal Domingo Place St. Peter's Metropolitan Cathedral

Styles of Miguel G. Purugganan
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Miguel Gatan Purugganan(November 18, 1931 – July 8, 2011)was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Bishop ofIlaganand became a prominent critic of the dictatorship of PresidentFerdinand Marcosduring theMartial Law era.

Early life and education

Miguel Gatan Purugganan was born inCabagan, Isabelaon November 18, 1931. He entered into a seminary inVigan, Ilocos Surand continued to theUniversity of Santo TomasinManilabefore he was ordained in 1957. Subsequently, he took a doctorate degree in canon law at theGregorian UniversityinRome,attainingsumma cum laude.He then took another doctorate degree in theology, but was ordered to return to the Philippines before he could finish it.

Priesthood

Purugganan started as seminary prefect of discipline. He eventually became bishop’s secretary, assistant parish priest, seminar rector, vicar-general of thediocese of Tuguegarao,auxiliary bishop of thediocese of Nueva Segovia,and from 1974 to 1999, bishop of thediocese of Ilagan.Aged 39, he was one of the youngest bishops in the country.

He was chair of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines‘s commission on lay apostolate, and a member of the CBCP’s commissions on canon law and social action, in addition to being a member of its Permanent Council.

Social work

Purugganan was heavily involved in social action work and defending human rights during the Marcos regime, being one of seven bishops who denounced it andmartial lawwho became known as the “Magnificent Seven.”

Purugganan opened diocesan programs to respond to the regime’s repressive policies, particularly to help the poor defend themselves against abuses. Among these programs was the Community-Based Health and Development Program (CBHDP). He built up his diocesan staff for social action in the communities, arousing the suspicion of the military, which believed that they were fronting for theNew People’s Army.When some of them were arrested for their work, Purugganan confronted officers at their barracks and demanded their release.

Purugganan provided support for some 20,0000 peasants who were farming an 11,000 hectare-tract of land spanning the Haciendas San Antonio and Santa Isabel inIlagan,which was being claimed for large-scale commercial agribusiness purposes by Marcos croniesEduardo “Danding” Cojuangcoand Antonio Carag, who in turn were supported by Marcos who sent soldiers to intimidate the residents. In response, many church people, led by Purugganan himself, gave aid and support to the farmers. The Bishop placed the entire social action network under his office to help the farmers’ struggles. In December 1981, he led over 50 priests, nuns and journalists to visit the haciendas in defiance of soldiers and private guards who tried to keep them out.

The Marcos government retaliated by placing Purugganan and his staff under military surveillance. Days after theAquino assassinationin 1983, soldiers raided his residence in Ilagan and a nearby nuns’ residence in an unsuccessful attempt to find weapons and wanted persons. Purugganan denounced these raids and continued in his advocacy, even after the collapse of the Marcos regime in 1986.He later successfully campaigned against the proposal to divide the province ofIsabelainto two separate provinces in a 1995 plebiscite, which had been criticized as an attempt at gerrymandering by ruling political dynasties.

Purugganan also helped found the Basic Christian Communities – Community Organizing (BCC-CO) program, serving as its chair. It became one of the most effective ways that church people empowered communities by teaching people their rights and interests, urging them to struggle for their demands, and to resist martial law. The BCC-CO encouraged communities to make the regime accountable for its excesses, and often led demands to stop militarization in the countryside.

Death

Purugganan died due to cardiac arrest on July 8, 2011, at the Saint Paul Hospital inTuguegaraoCity,Cagayan.

Legacy

Detail of the Wall of Remembrance at theBantayog ng mga Bayani,showing names from the 2012 batch of Bantayog Honorees, including that of Miguel Purugganan.

In recognition of his efforts, his name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at theBantayog ng mga BayaniinQuezon City,which honors the heroes and martyrs who fought theMarcos dictatorship.