Following his appointment as a new cardinal of the Catholic Church by Pope Francis recently, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David stressed that he was surprised and humbled by the appointment, which came after a quiet Sunday morning in Rome.

"It felt like being caught in a whirlwind," said David, describing his initial reaction to the news.

The new cardinal will receive his red hat at a Vatican ceremony on 8 December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. He joins Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as an active Filipino cardinal.

The Philippines now has four living cardinals, including Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales and Cardinal Orlando Quevedo. However, both Rosales and Quevedo are over 80 years old and can no longer participate in the election of a new pope.