Miguel Gatan Purugganan

Miguel Gatan Purugganan (November 18, 1931 – July 8, 2011) was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Ilagan and became a prominent critic of the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos during the Martial Law era.

Early life and education Miguel Gatan Purugganan was born in Cabagan, Isabela on November 18, 1931. He entered into a seminary in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and continued to the University of Santo Tomas in Manila before he was ordained in 1957. Subsequently, he took a doctorate degree in canon law at the Gregorian University in Rome, attaining summa cum laude. He then took another doctorate degree in theology, but was ordered to return to the Philippines before he could finish it. which was being claimed for large-scale commercial agribusiness purposes by Marcos cronies Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco and 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.

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.

Legacy Detail of the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog 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 the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City, which honors the heroes and martyrs who fought the Marcos dictatorship.