REELING from the shock and grief that recently swept the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) over the untimely demise of Ambassador Bernardita Leonido Catalla, there has been an outpouring of sadness and commiseration from among the local diplomatic community.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., exercising the power of his office to honor one of his most trusted and courageous lieutenants, said she deserves an “airport welcome” worthy of a returning champion, with a vow to nominate her for the Gawad Mabini and the Order of Sikatuna awards.
The former is conferred upon Filipinos who rendered distinguished service, or promoted the interests of the Republic of the Philippines at home and abroad. The other is the national order of diplomatic merit, bestowed upon diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who have given noteworthy services in fostering, developing and strengthening relations between their country and the Philippines, or upon personnel of the DFA—both in the home office, and in the foreign service.
One poignant letter among many that stood out was from Australian envoy Rebekah Grindlay, who told Locsin: “Last night, I lit candles over Beirut’s coast for Ambassador Bernie Catalla. Her death from [Covid-19] has shocked us: She was beloved in the community, respected by her colleagues, and the person I always wanted to sit next to at dinner.”
The noble ambassador passed away on April 2, 2020 at 12:30 a.m. at a Beirut hospital where she was confined, then eventually succumbed to Covid-19.
Champion of OFW rights
A CAREER diplomat for 27 years, Catalla was instrumental in convincing employers of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs)—or in our case, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)—to provide ample safety precautions for housemaids compelled to clean windows of high-rise apartments and condominiums.
Author and former DFA Secretary Delia Domingo-Albert, who penned the book Women in Diplomacy, featured Catalla on its pages prominently. She once gave Envoys&Expats access to one of the fallen envoy’s speeches and provided a glimpse of a little-known vignette of the latter’s highly accomplished life.
In 2016, five OFWs fell to their deaths while cleaning windows in Hong Kong. This incident triggered mass protests and cries from FDH, demanding humane legislation for their kind. (Aside from the Philippines, other sources of female manual laborers in the former Crown Colony are Indonesia and Malaysia.) The ban to clean windows by FDHs had long been advocated by militant migrant groups, following a number of similar reported cases due to accidental falling, given the number of high-rise residential units there.
Thereafter, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) stipulated that only a Standard Employment Contract, with an insertion of its prescribed provision banning the cleaning of windows by FDHs, would be accepted.
As expected, employers, placement agencies and politicians objected to the Polo’s unilateral action.
It was while being posted as consul general in Hong Kong and looking over the welfare of hundreds of thousands of OFWs that Catalla spearheaded three preconditions for window cleaning: (1) The windows must have metal grilles; (2) the employer must be present during the cleaning, and (3) only the FDH’s arm should be extended out of the windows.
After a speech in 2015, she was quoted as saying: “Armed with prepared maximum and minimum positions on the issue, and as the official voice of the 185,000-strong FDH community—the biggest in Hong Kong—I earned the support of my Asean colleagues.”
The ambassador said that following a series of coordination and negotiations, the employers agreed on the first and third conditions.
“Together with the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila, we decided to forego the second condition after further attempts to negotiate,” Catalla explained. “I was able to secure the commitment of Hong Kong’s labor commissioner to step up their efforts in enhancing the awareness of both employers and FDHs on the importance of adopting the necessary safety measures when cleaning windows and performing other household duties.”
As consul general, the Filipina envoy called an urgent meeting with the deputy consul general, labor attaché and assistant labor attaché, who were all lawyers.
“Strong multi-agency collaboration, coupled with diplomatic skills, allowed the negotiation to proceed smoothly and achieve the best results for all concerned parties,” she confirmed.
By the end of 2018, Catalla reported that “all FDHs in Hong Kong, regardless of race color, or nationality, [are ensured of] better protection and safety,” the diplomat declared triumphantly. (In 2019, the number of Hong Kong-based FDHs had ballooned to 400,000.)
Beirut-based Pinoys covered
WHILE posted in Beirut, one of the first things Catalla asked for was the embassy’s OFW database.
To her surprise, she found out “there was none…”
The ambassador acted swiftly “and revived within the month the decade-long abandonment of the critical consular function of registration of nationals overseas.” She sought the support of recognized leaders in the Filipino community and, although inadequate in resources, “we were able to pull off the revived national registration program.”
Catalla described that their first registrants were Filipino civilian personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. After informing the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and those new to the registration program, the embassy announced on its Facebook page the availability of identification cards. “OFWs quickly responded.”
Catalla observed that, although few came forward to enlist during the first few days, “hordes of registrants trooped to the embassy in the wee hours of the morning.”
Crowds formed in front of the embassy chancery as Filipino laborers rushed from all over Lebanon. The Internal Security Forces assigned an additional diplomatic police officer to control the security situation and curb anxieties, she noted.
After addressing security concerns, the embassy was able to register 5,000 OFWs in 2017, and issued the same number of IDs come year-end. By September 2018, 11 months after the registration program was launched, with the leadership of Catalla, “the embassy database had generated personal and contact information of about 12,000 OFWs in Lebanon.”
“Apart from helping identify and locate OFWs in Lebanon,” she stated, “the embassy’s registration-cum-ID issuance program had boosted overseas voter registration for the 2019 national elections by almost 8,000 [names].”
Most important, Catalla noted: “The embassy ID is recognized by Lebanese enforcement authorities, banks and business entities as a valid document of identification, proof of legal stay and support for legitimate transactions.”
‘Rock-star diplomat’
CATALLA’S two landmark experiences helped her gain valuable insights.
As a panelist in 2015 in a forum, “Ascending the Professional Ladder: Lessons from Women in Diplomacy,” she and other Filipina ambassadors were asked one final question: “What are the key things that helped you succeed?”
Her answer: “Coming from a country with very limited resources, and serving in a place where we have a huge population of women to protect, I continue to achieve my mandate through rock-solid networking, tapping into the resources of the network, and constantly wearing a thick face to be able to do what I have to do. My statement elicited wild applause.”
The appreciative moderator looked at Catalla with a smile and said: “Consul general, you’re a rock star!”
For her stellar diplomatic career, that ovation for Ambassador Catalla from the countrymen she served well will surely linger for a long time.