(PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)
The Philippine government has recommended the appointment of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola for the position of Deputy Director General for Management and Reform of the IOM, the Palace announced Thursday.
Arriola has served as head of the Migrant Workers’ Affairs section of the DFA since 2017. She was the first woman appointed to that post.
In a statement, the Presidential Communications Operations Office cited Arriola as “an adept and accomplished migration management practitioner and human rights specialist.”
“She also advocates for change management and ethical and decent work within the department that are anchored on core IOM operational characteristics of agility, transparency, and accountability,” the statement read.
In Hongkong, where she served as Consul General between 2014-2017, she continues to be remembered for her active pursuit of upholding the rights of Filipino migrant workers on the island. (DFA photo via PNA)
MANILA – A presidential award was conferred posthumously on late Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Bernardita Catalla, the first senior career diplomat in active service to have died from the coronavirus disease 2019.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., on behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte, conferred the Order of Sikatuna, with the Rank of Datu, Gold Distinction on Catalla as he cited her dedication and reputation as “a diplomat who genuinely cared for Filipinos abroad.”
Published December 11, 2020, 6:48 PM
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday conferred six of its personnel with two of the highest Presidential awards – the Gawad Mabini and Order of Sikatuna in recognition of their exemplary service to the people and nation.
The late Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Bernardita L. Catalla was conferred posthumously with the Order of Sikatuna, with the Rank of Datu, Gold Distinction for her work in defending the rights of Filipino workers.
While serving as Consul General to Hong Kong between 2014-2017, Catalla actively sided with rights groups in the fight to keep domestic workers from cleaning windows in high-rise buildings, which had resulted in several deaths. The Hong Kong government eventually introduced the ban in 2016. Well-respected by her peers, Catalla served, with distinction, for 27 years in the Foreign Service. She died due to COVID-19 complications at a hospital in Beirut in April 2020.