Jorge Barlin
Jorge Barlin also known as Jorge Barlin Imperial, Jorge Alfonso Imperial Barlin and Jorge Barlin y Imperial following Spanish naming customs, was the first Filipino consecrated a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres in the Philippines until 1909. He was the first Filipino and Bicolano bishop and was parish priest and vicar forane of Sorsogon from 1887 to 1906.Life
Jorge Barlin was born April 23, 1850 in Baao, Camarines Sur, the Philippines to Mateo Alfonso Barlin and Francisca Imperial and died in Rome, Italy in 1909.
He was ordained a priest on September 19, 1875 and consecrated a bishop on June 29, 1906 by Archbishop Ambrose Agius along with co-consecrators Archbishop Jeremiah James Harty and Bishop Frederick Zadok Rooker. "Barlin proved very capable and loyal, dealing a blow to the schismatic Iglesia Filipinia Independiente by resisting its recruitment efforts and winning a court battle over church property," according to Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
He died and was interred in that holy city. Attempts to have his body returned to the Philippines were not successful.
There is a monument commemorating Jorge Barlin called Plaza Barlin in Naga, Camarines Sur
There is another monument of Jorge Barlin in his hometown's plaza, Baao, Camarines Sur.
