A long goodbyeA diplomat’s life is a series of “Hello” and “Goodbye.” They assume a post in a foreign country, usually for a tour of duty of three years, maybe four. An inventory of departing diplomats yielded quite a long list, and since embassy row is a tight-knit community, their social calendars will be full of send-off parties – not to mention National Day receptions – for the next months. I also talked golf with Teres Dabao who, with my niece the golf coach, won a club championship a few years back. Our mindful host prepared two desserts that were the guests of honor’s favorites – lemon cake for MaryKay and tiramisu for Aubrey. Those though were just the proverbial icing on the cake of an evening that was not a good-bye but a till-we-meet-again.

Source: Philippine Star January 19, 2026 16:35 UTC