Most Reverend Rex Andrew Alarcon has assumed his position as the fifth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Caceres.

The Naga Metropolitan Cathedral was filled with priests and Catholic faithful witnessing the solemn installation and canonical possession of the Archbishop.

Among those present were Archbishop Alarcon's family.

“Sobrang kaogmahan [mi], dae [ko] maintindihan, iyo dae [mi] maitago an kaogmahan, sobra-sobrang kaogmahan,” Jay Alarcon, the brother of Archbishop Rex Alarcon, said.

The ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials of the Catholic Church, including 32 bishops from different dioceses across the country, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and Most Reverend Charles Brown, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.

Chancellor Father Darius Romualdo read Pope Francis' letter for Archbishop Alarcon's installation.

The ceremony included homage to the bishop from various religious communities, civic and government leaders, and other sectors welcoming the new Archbishop.

In his first homily as Archbishop, Alarcon expressed his plans to guide the 96 parishes of the archdiocese.

“First, do what is necessary, then do what is possible, and before you knew, you are doing the impossible. Enot, gibuhon ta ang dapat gibuhon, dangan an posible, simple. Pagkatapos mahihiling ta sa tabang kan gracia nin Mahal na Dios, magigibo na niyato ang imposible,” Alarcon said.

Stringent security measures were in place during the event.

“Actually generally peaceful from May [1] to May 2, so wala po tayong na-registered na crime, so far so good dahil mayo pong eskwela so dae po sinda nakadagdag sa volume kang traffic,” PCOL. Erwin Rebelleon, City Director of the Naga City Police Office (NCPO), said.