Fr. Felmar Fiel, SVD, Installed as New General Manager of Radio Veritas Asia

In a simple yet dignified ceremony held at the Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) campus in Quezon City, the Philippines, Fr. Felmar Castrodes Fiel, SVD, formally assumed office as the new General Manager of RVA on September 1, 2025.

The handover event was presided over by Bishop Roberto Gaa of Novaliches, who also serves as Treasurer of the PREIC Board. Present at the gathering were outgoing General Manager Fr. Victor F. Sadaya, CMF; Fr. John Mi Shen, RVA Program Director and Executive Secretary of the Office of Social Communication (FABC-OSC); and the RVA staff. Coordinators of RVA’s language services joined the event online.

The program opened with a prayer led by Fr. Mi Shen, followed by brief introductions from the staff.

In his heartfelt farewell message, Fr. Sadaya thanked the RVA family for their support during his nine years of service, a period that saw RVA’s historic transition from shortwave radio broadcasting to digital platforms. This bold shift included capacity-building efforts through online training and development programs, ensuring RVA’s continued relevance in the digital era. He also highlighted milestones such as the celebration of RVA’s 50th Anniversary, establishment of Unitas Asia Corporation, a subsidiary of RVA for asset management and the construction of the RVA Museum alongside the renovation of the auditorium and social hall.

Calling it “an honor of a lifetime” to work with dedicated colleagues and partners in advancing the vision, mission, and values of RVA, Fr. Sadaya assured his full cooperation in the transition process and expressed support for the incoming leadership.

In his address, Bishop Gaa expressed gratitude to Fr. Sadaya for his dedication and warmly welcomed Fr. Fiel. He assured the new General Manager of the PREIC Board’s full support in guiding RVA’s mission into the future. In a symbolic gesture, Fr. Sadaya handed Fr. Fiel a large gold-gilded cardboard key, referring to it as “the key to all doors.”

Humbled and overwhelmed, Fr. Fiel shared that his appointment came at a providential moment. Around the same time the SVD-run Word Broadcasting Corporation in Cebu, which he had headed for many years, was handed over to private ownership, the PREIC Board requested the Society of the Divine Word to assign him to RVA. “The timing was part of God’s plan,” he said, inviting the cooperation of all staff and stakeholders, and stressing that no contribution is too small when it comes to building up the Kingdom of God.

The appointment of Fr. Fiel has been widely welcomed as the beginning of a new era for RVA, with many expressing joy and optimism about his leadership, particularly given his strong background in media and communications.

In appointing Fr. Fiel, José F. Cardinal Advíncula, Archbishop of Manila and Chairman of PREIC, together with Bishop Marcelino Antonio Malabanan Maralit, Bishop of San Pablo and Chairman of FABC-OSC, emphasized in their jointly signed letter his education, experience, and pastoral zeal as fitting qualities to lead RVA’s mission of evangelization in Asia, echoing Christ’s mandate: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).

International partners likewise welcomed the appointment. In a message, the German Donor Council for Radio Veritas Asia commended Fr. Fiel’s qualifications in media management and social communication, affirming their confidence that he will be “a blessing for RVA.” They expressed optimism about the new leadership team of Fr. Fiel and Fr. Mi Shen, seeing in it a renewed sign of commitment to a complex yet vital digital media ministry at the service of the Church in Asia.

While thanking Fr. Victor Sadaya for his nine years of dedicated service, the whole RVA family warmly welcomes Fr. Fiel as he takes on the responsibility of guiding the Voice of Asian Christianity into the future.