17/05/2025
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: Chaplain Major James Sucuano Cañete is a dedicated minister and military chaplain whose career reflects a deep commitment to both pastoral care and national service. He earned his Bachelor of Theology and Master of Divinity major in Pastoral Care and Counseling from the Silliman University Divinity School in Dumaguete City. Prior to joining the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), he served as a local church pastor for 12 years in four congregations under the Lanao District Conference of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP).
In October 2016, Chaplain Cañete responded to a higher calling to serve as a chaplain in the AFP and was appointed Probationary Second Lieutenant. He was commissioned to the rank of Captain in June 2017, completed the Technical Administrative Service Officer Basic Course in January 2018, and successfully finished his Advance Course in November 2023. He was promoted to the rank of Major on December 1, 2020.
Currently, Chaplain Cañete serves as Assistant Division Chaplain and Evangelical Chaplain of the 7th Infantry Division, Philippine Army. Before his present assignment, he served as Evangelical Chaplain at the Headquarters Support Group for over three years, and also held chaplaincy posts at the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Philippine Army, and at the Air Education and Training Command of the Philippine Air Force.
Chaplain Cañete initially pursued a degree in Metallurgical Engineering Technology, major in Process and Quality Control, and graduated from Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in 1997. He is currently completing his Master of Business Administration at MSU-IIT, working on his thesis titled “Satisfaction on Welfare Programs and Its Implication on Intention to Stay: The Mediating Role of Soldiers’ Morale in the Fort Magsaysay Units.”
He is married to Rev. Joan Mae Echavez Cañete, who serves as Associate Minister for Christian Education and Nurture at UCCP Ellinwood-Malate Church in Metro Manila. They are blessed with four children: Chesedh, Dietrich, Bless Paschal, and Eirene.
