Ilonggo priest heads CICM
The first Filipino Catholic missionary to Hongkong was an Ilonggo. He arrived there on October 1986 just after his ordination in San Miguel, Iloilo in 1985 – the first hometown ordination there. Last January 1, he became the first Ilonggo to head the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – CICM) in the Philippines.
He is Fr. Rex C. Salvilla, the eldest child of spouses Atty. Rex Sale Salvilla of San Miguel, Iloilo and Prisca Gay Celis of Sara, Iloilo.
He stayed in Hongkong until 2000 as assistant parish priest of the parish of Holy Cross in Hongkong and later, as parish priest of St. James in Kowloon where he said holy masses in Chinese for the parishioners, English for Americans and Europeans; and Tagalog for Filipino overseas workers. He was also director of seven private schools.
In 2000, he was appointed congregation procurator (treasurer) of Asia covering Philippines, Hongkong, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and Mongolia.
Incidentally, his successor as procurator is another Ilonggo missionary in Congo (Africa) – Rev. Fr. Ronnie Provido, CICM.
