Basilan bishop in ICU; prelature asks for prayers

Bishop Leo Dalmao during his ordination and installation as bishop of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan in 2019. File photo from Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Bishop Leo Dalmao of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan was rushed to the hospital on Christmas Eve and remained in the intensive care unit (ICU) on Friday. 

In a statement, Fr. Rodel Angeles, the prelature's vicar general, said the 54-year-old bishop's test results revealed he had a ruptured aorta.

"On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, Bishop Leo Dalmao was hospitalized after feeling unwell during the Midnight Mass at Sta. Isabel de Portugal Cathedral. Stabilized in Isabela City, he was transported via sea ambulance to Zamboanga City," Angeles said.

The bishop was initially admitted to Ciudad Medical and was later transferred to Zamboanga Peninsula Medical Center.

Efforts were underway to transfer him to Manila for specialized care.

"We earnestly ask for your prayers for Bishop Dalmao's healing, strength, and swift recovery," the vicar general said.

Dalmao, the fourth prelate of the prelature in the Muslim-majority Basilan, is the first Filipino Claretian to become a bishop.

He was ordained and installed as bishop of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan in 2019.

The prelate was serving as General Prefect of Formation of the Claretian Missionaries in Rome when Pope Francis appointed him as bishop.

The prelature was founded in 1963 and comprises the entire Basilan island.