Asec Elmer G Cato

08/08/2026

“Papatak, papatak paratang la reng tugak!” For lunch on this rainy Sunday, we are having betute tugak—stuffed rice field frogs cooked the Kapampangan way. This traditional Kapampangan delicacy consists of seasoned ground meat and is deep-fried until golden and crispy. Manyaman!

07/08/2026

We are sharing the statement the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) released this morning after caskets with anti-Chinese messages were found in several locations in Metro Manila.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs does not condone acts or threats of violence against any individual, including foreign nationals or officials. Such irresponsible and disrespectful acts cannot be tolerated.

“While the Philippines upholds the right to freedom of expression, the DFA emphasizes that this right does not extend to threats of violence or acts that endanger the safety and security of others. Such actions do not reflect the Philippine government's approach to conducting its foreign relations, nor do they represent how Filipinos express criticism or dissatisfaction, even on sensitive political matters.

“The Philippine government reaffirms that it takes seriously its duties and obligations concerning the safety and security of foreign nationals and officials in the country, including those arising from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

“The DFA is closely coordinating with law enforcement authorities, who are taking the necessary steps to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine accountability for this reckless act. “

06/08/2026

Despite the work suspension in government offices due to Typhoon Maymay, we were at the Home Office this morning for a meeting with our partners from the Philippine National Police (PNP) to discuss how we could more effectively secure and protect personnel and premises of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). We look forward to the capacity-building programs that we will be undertaking with the assistance of the Special Action Force and the Explosives and Ordnance Disposal and K9 Group.

05/08/2026

We had a very productive exchange with Fire Chief Supt. Wilberto Rico Neil A. Kwan Tiu, the Acting Chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), who came to visit us at the Home Office this morning.

One of the agencies under the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the BFP is mandated to prevent and suppress destructive fires, enforce safety laws, and respond to national emergencies across the Philippines.

The BFP has been a long-time partner of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), especially during the conduct of the quarterly nationwide simultaneous earthquake drills.

This morning, we are taking it another level higher as we discussed how our two agencies could work together to allow us to respond more effectively to the dangers posed by fire and hazardous materials and other emergencies.

04/08/2026

A year after we returned from our overseas posting, we got reunited with colleagues we served with at the Philippine Consulate General in Milan who are now also based at the Home Office.

It was our send off for Leilanie Medina, head of our Consular Office in Antipolo, who will soon be assuming her responsibilities at the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary headed by my kumare, Consul General Emma Sarne.

Over dinner, we reminisced our time in Northern Italy and how we all tried to serve our kababayan there the best way we can. They are among the best I have served with and I will serve with them again anytime.

04/08/2026

Before she passed away early this year, our aunt Marissa Sanchez, who was one of the pioneer Filipina tennis players and at one time the country’s top seed in the 1970, mentioned that she was closely watching the rise of Alex Eala.

Auntie Marissa knew the young Filipina tennis sensation will reach heights she and others before her have never attained.

In Washington DC on Monday, Alex made history by becoming the first Filipina to win a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles championship and the first Southeast Asian tennis player to claim a WTA 500 level title.

From where she is now, we are sure Auntie Marissa is also beaming with pride for Alex’s success.

On Sunday, August 2, I debated whether to drive or take the train. In the end, I chose the train, convinced that if Alex won, I could celebrate with a couple of drinks and I didn't have to worry about driving back to New York. I arrived at 11:00 a.m.…

03/08/2026

It was New York-based photojournalist Troi Santos who told us Alex Eala was going to be a tennis great. This was four years ago, shortly after Alex won her first United States Open juniors singles title at Flushing Meadows.

This morning, we woke up to the news that Alex again brought pride and honor to the Philippines and the Filipino people by winning the 2026 Mubadala Citi DC Open.

With her victory, Alex made history by becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles championship and the first Southeast Asian tennis player to claim a WTA 500 level title.

As he was at the US Open in 2022, Troi was there at the DC Open on Monday to capture this shining moment in Philippine sports history.

Maraming Salamat, Alex! Mabuhay ka!

03/08/2026

Over coffee and tea last Saturday, the three of us recounted our adventures and misadventures as journalists covering the turbulence in Pampanga in the 1980s. B**g Lacson was then reporting for People’s Tonight while Jay Sangil was correspondent for the Inquirer.

We talked about Kumander Garapon after whom the Mariano Garcia Brigade of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Pampanga was named after. We also talked about the right-wing vigilante groups Angelino Simbulan, Francisco Sabile, and Francisco Medina Brigades.

B**g, who taught us how to write the news when he was with the Office of Media Affairs (OMA) while we were a high school junior at Chevalier School, wrote about the Pampanga insurgency in his novel “Brigada,” which he first published in 2004.

B**g gave us another copy to help refresh our memory for the book project on the insurgency that we have long been working on. He promised to edit the book for us.

02/08/2026

We had the pleasure of hosting our counterpart, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Todd Wilcox at Clark Field on Saturday.

As head of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security of the Department of State in Washington DC, Assistant Secretary Wilcox is responsible for protecting US diplomatic personnel, premises, classified information, and conducting international security cooperation.

Over a sumptuous Kapampangan lunch at Consuelo’s prepared by our good friend Chef Vince Garcia, Assistant Secretary Wilcox had a productive discussion with us not only on the shared history and partnership between the Philippines and the United States but also on how the Department of State and the Department of Foreign Affairs could work closely together.

It was not Assistant Secretary Wilcox’s first visit to the Philippines. He had been to Clark and Fort Magsaysay when he was a Green Beret who was sent here to train with Philippine special forces.

30/07/2026

As journalists covering the insurgency in Central Luzon in the 1980s, we were witnesses to the bloody tit-for-tat between government troops and right-wing vigilantes and communist guerrillas and their supporters.

We reported about the death toll in the violence that both sides inflicted on one another and the grief of loved ones left behind.

This scene was captured during the funeral of a New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla killed in a gun battle with authorities in Pampanga almost four decades ago.

We could no longer remember the name of the fallen rebel but we think he went with the alias Ka Jokjok, a former political prisoner, who rejoined the NPA shortly after he was released. This photograph was originally taken in black and white and colorized with the use of AI.