DFA mourns death of multiawarded diplomat
Department of Foreign Affairs building. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is mourning the death of Philippine Ambassador to Pakistan Domingo Lucenario Jr., 54, who was one of the diplomats killed in a helicopter crash in Pakistan on Friday.
READ: Norwegian, Philippine envoys among 7 dead in Pakistan chopper crash
Employees at the flag-retreat ceremony at the DFA headquarters on Friday offered two minutes of silence for the senior diplomat.
“Sad day for the Philippine foreign service as it mourns the loss of Ambassador Domingo Lucenario Jr. who perished in a helicopter crash in Pakistan,” Elmer Cato, first secretary and consul of the Philippine Embassy in Washington who is now waiting to assume an assignment in Iraq, said in his Facebook post.
A dozen of Lucenario’s colleagues and friends also posted their messages of sympathies and condolences on Cato’s Facebook post.
Various capacities
A lawyer by profession, Lucenario served the country in various capacities, including assignments in Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, and as former Philippine ambassador to Kenya with concurrent jurisdiction to 12 African nations.
He was the Philippine permanent representative to the UN Environment Program and the UN Human Settlements Program (UN Habitat). He also served as deputy chief of presidential protocol under the Ramos administration aside from various positions in the home office.
3 presidential awards
Lucenario was one of the few career Filipino diplomats who had the rare distinction of having been awarded by the President of the Philippines with three major presidential awards: the Order of Sikatuna Award with the rank of Datu (Gold level, 2009), the Order of Lakandula Award with the rank of Grand Officer (Maringal na Pinuno, 2008), and the Gawad Mabini Award with the rank of Grand Officer (Dakilang Kamanong, 2008).
These awards were conferred in recognition of his significant role in the implementation of the machine readable/e-passport projects, his outstanding service as the assistant secretary general of the National Organizing Committee for the Asean Summit and other international conferences, and for his exceptional and meritorious services as a career diplomat.
SBC’s outstanding alumnus
He was also conferred the Isabel la Catolica Award by the Spanish government for his role in fostering closer relations between the Philippines and Spain.
Lucenario was given recognition as an outstanding alumnus by San Beda College of Law Alumni Association. He obtained his law degree from San Beda in 1984 and passed the bar the same year.
Magna cum laude
Lucenario graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in political science degree from Manuel L. Quezon University. He also holds master of laws degrees from University of Manila and a diploma in international relations from the Deutsche Stiftung fur Internationale Entwicklung in Berlin, Germany.
He was born on Sept. 3, 1960, in Manila. He was married to lawyer Nida Arada Lucenario. The couple have three children.
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