Lebanon – Philippine ambassador to Lebanon Bernardita Catalla dies of coronavirus in Beirut

Philippines ambassador to Lebanon Bernardita Catalla died of coronavirus at the age of 62, the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced in a statement on Thursday.

“With deep sadness, the Department of Foreign Affairs announces the untimely demise on 02 April 2020, of Ambassador Bernardita Catalla, Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon, from complications arising from Covid 19,” the statement read.

Catalla was a career diplomat for 27 years, according to the DFA. In December 2019, she led the “voluntary mass repatriation” program for the embassy in Beirut.

Her death is one of 16 coronavirus deaths reported in the country. A total of 494 people have contracted the virus so far in Lebanon.