Vicente M. Navarra officially resigned as Bishop of Bacolod, Negros Occidental. The Holy Father accepted the resignation of Monsignor Navarra and appointed Msgr. Patricio Buzon as the new Bishop of Bacolod, Vatican Radio reported.  Navarra was assigned as Bishop May 24, 2001 until he retired same month in May 24, 2016. Monsignor Buzon was assigned from Diocese of Kabankalan in southern negros which he became a prelate in 2013. Currently, Buzon is a member of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Youth. He is also the president of the UST Central Seminary Alumni Association.

Patricio Buzon was born in Cebu City on March 14, 1950, and finished elementary education at the Asilo de la Milagrosa School. He entered the Don Bosco Academy High School in San Fernando, Pampanga. He went to University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila where he got his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Education, majoring in Electricity. He completed his Bachelor of Sacred Theology in the same university.

His first religious profession in the Salesian order was on June 29, 1967, and his perpetual profession was on May 24, 1973. A year after his priestly ordination on Dec. 8, 1976, he became the spiritual moderator of Don Bosco Missionary Seminary in Talisay, Cebu (1977-1982) and later served as its rector (1982-1988). He was also rector of Don Bosco Technical High School in Punta Princesa, Cebu (1988-1992).