Bernardita Leonido Catalla (February 18, 1958 – April 2, 2020) was a
Filipina career diplomat who was last appointed the Philippine ambassador to
Lebanon. Prior to her posting in Lebanon, she was also assigned to
Hong Kong,
Indonesia, and
Malaysia.[1][2]
Catalla first entered the Philippine Foreign Service in 1993.[7] She was the principal assistant and then acting director of the
ASEAN office from 1994 to 1995.[7][8]
She was called back to the Home Office to become the Director of the Office of United Nations and International Organizations from 2001 to 2002 and Passport Director from 2002 to 2005.[9]
She was consul of the
Philippine Embassy in Jakarta from 2005 to 2011 and Director of the Office of Asia & Pacific Affairs at the Home Office from 2011 to 2014.[10]
She was posted to the Philippine Consulate in
Hong Kong as
Consul-General from 2014 to 2017.[10] During her stint in Hong Kong, she spearheaded the amendment of contracts of foreign domestic helpers to include a ban on dangerous window cleaning, which according to The Sun Hong Kong, was her biggest legacy to the Filipino community in the region.[11]
After that, she was promoted to the
Embassy in Beirut as
Ambassador from 2017 up to her death in 2020.[6] As Ambassador to Lebanon, she spearheaded the voluntary mass repatriation program of
OFWs in the country.[9]
Personal life
In September 2015, Catalla's nephew was murdered.[12] According to news reports, she treated him as her own son.[13]