VETERAN career diplomat Elmer G. Cato paid tribute to Filipino diplomats who had served in conflict zones abroad after he received the presidential Gawad Mabini award for his service in Iraq and Libya.
“This honor bestowed upon me in recognition of the total of five years spent looking after our kababayan in Baghdad and Tripoli, is not mine alone,” Cato said in a Facebook post.
“I share it with the men and women who I served with in the frontlines of Iraq and Libya who were there with me in the line of fire, in the service of the Republic of the Philippines and the Filipino people,” he added.
Cato, who is now Consul General of the Philippines in Milan, Italy, received the Gawad Mabini with the rank of Dakilang Kamanong (Grand Cross) from Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo during the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Cato was recognized for his service in Libya during the last civil war and the coronavirus pandemic from 2019 to 2021 and in Iraq during the terror campaign of the Islamic State (ISIS) from 2015 to 2018.
Cato led DFA efforts in both countries to ensure the safety and security of Filipinos during the five years he served in Baghdad and Tripoli.
Established by Presidential Decree No. 490, the Gawad Mabini is awarded to DFA personnel for acts of merit that include the evacuation and protection of Filipinos in danger zones overseas.
Cato received the Gawad Mabini with the rank of Dakilang Kasugo in 2012 for improving the delivery of consular services by securing the rent-free hosting of DFA consular offices in shopping malls across the country.
Cato, a reservist with the rank of lieutenent colonel in the Philippine Army, is also a recipient of the Bronze Cross medal for heroism during his two-year tour of duty in Libya.