Ruben Caballero Labajo

Ruben Caballero Labajo (born September 24, 1966) is a Filipino Catholic prelate who previously served as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cebu from 2022 to 2025. He is currently—and the first bishop of–the newly erected Diocese of Prosperidad.

Early life Labajo was born on September 24, 1966, in Talisay, Cebu, Philippines, to parents Bienvenido and Violeta Labajo. Labajo spent his formation years as a seminarian at the San Carlos Seminary College, where he obtained his degree in Philosophy. He then continued his theological studies at the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos, where he obtained his master's degree in philosophy.

Ministry

Priesthood Labajo was ordained a priest on June 10, 1994, at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at Talisay, by the former and late Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

Between 2014 and 2017, Labajo served on another post as a Moderator of Team of Pastors at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. In 2017, he became the Episcopal Vicar of the First District of Metropolitan Cebu, and became a member of the diocese's presbyteral council.

Before Labajo became the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cebu in 2019, he also held another post as the Vicar Forane of the Vicariate of the Most Holy Rosary, where he served for five years from 2014 to 2019.

Episcopate Pope Francis appointed Labajo as the Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu on June 23, 2022. He was also assigned a titular see at Abbir Maius. He was consecrated on August 19, 2022, by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, with the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Charles John Brown, and Malolos Bishop Dennis Villarojo acting as co-consecrators.

On October 15, 2024, Pope Francis appointed Labajo as the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Prosperidad, a territory which was carved out of the Diocese of Butuan. On January 28, 2025, the feast day of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Labajo was formally installed as the Bishop of Prosperidad at the Saint Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Prosperidad.

Coat of arms