Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr. of Boac in Marinduque as the new leader of the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna.

Maralit will fill the position left vacant after the resignation of Bishop Buenaventura Famadico in September 2023 due to health issues. Since then, Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig has been overseeing the diocese as its apostolic administrator.

Bishop Maralit completed his philosophical education at St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary in Lipa City and later earned a licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Universidad de Navarra in Spain. He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Lipa on March 13, 1995. His further studies took him to Rome, where he received a licentiate in Church History from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

Pope Francis first appointed Maralit as the bishop of Boac in December 2014, when he was 45. He was consecrated as bishop on 13 March, 2015. He was made head of Boac Diocese less than a week later.

Bishop Maralit also chairs the Episcopal Commission on Social Communications under the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), alongside his new role in the Diocese of San Pablo.

The Vatican made the announcement at 6 PM Philippine time on Saturday, 21 September.