LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, December 10, 2009—Newly installed Legaspi Bishop Joel Baylon has admitted leaving the Diocese of Masbate with a heavy heart, saying his 11-year stint in the poor province has made him a real "Masbateño" at heart.

Days before his canonical installation as the sixth bishop of Legazpi, Baylon told the CBCPNews how the realities in Masbate have challenged him as a leader of the Church.

"Those were the years of challenging times for Masbate as a poor province marred with a culture of violence and issues of mining, illegal fishing, human trafficking and many more. All these have provided color in my ministry," he said.

Although a native of Milaor, Camarines Sur, Baylon disclosed that he doesn't know what lies ahead of him even if he is actually coming back to the diocese of his hometown.

"Although I am excited in coming home and going back to my roots, I must acknowledge that I have a lot of catching up to do once I return to Legazpi. I have to start all over again," he said.

The 55-year-old prelate however remained optimistic that the religious and the lay faithful of Legazpi will support him as their bishop and "kababayan."

"I don't know what lies head of me in Legazpi but I am sure that it will be just as meaningful as it was in Masbate. Legazpi has its own share of difficulties and it's going to be challenging as well," he said.

Baylon's 4 p.m. installation at the St. Gregory the Great Cathedral today will be graced by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, Bishop Leonardo Legazpi, Bishop Jose Sorra, and Bishop Lucilo Quiambao, among others.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Senate President Franklin Drilon, Albay Governor Joey Salceda, Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal, and Albay Representatives Edcel Lagman, Al Francis Bichara, and Rino Lim are among the top officials expected to attend the celebration. (CBCPNews)