Senate honors PHL envoy who died in Pakistan chopper crash

The Senate on Tuesday night honored the late Philippine Ambassador to Pakistan Domingo Lucenario Jr. by adopting two resolutions citing his accomplishments and service to the Filipino people.
 
Senate Resolutions 1328 and 1329, authored by Senators Lito Lapid and Cynthia Villar, respectively, also expressed condolences to the family of Lucenario who died in a helicopter crash in Naltar Valley, Pakistan last May 8.
 
"Lucenario's untimely demise, without a doubt, is an immense loss to us, and the Senate joins the nation and his family in their moment of mourning for the loss of a distinguished public servant," Villar said in her resolution.
 
Lucenario, 54, was the first Filipino ambassador who died in the line of duty in recent memory.
 
In his resolution, Lapid extolled Lucenario's accomplishments, pointing out that he was "the only Filipino career diplomat who had the rare distinction of having been awarded with three major Presidential awards for his exceptional and meritorious stint in the foreign service."
 
Lucenario was awarded the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu (Gold level) in 2009, the Order of Lakandula with the rank of Grand Officer (Maringal na Pinuno) in 2008 and the Gawad Mabini award with the rank of Grand Officer (Dakilng Kamanong) also in 2008.
 
Prior to his appointment as ambassador to Pakistan in 2012, Lucenario served as ambassador to Kenya and the Philippine non-resident envoy to Burundi, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Uganda, Somalia and Tanzania.
 
He was also the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN Habitat).
 
Lucenario was noted for his work as project manager of the Philippine machine readable/e-passport program which allowed Filipinos to travel internationally with ease.
 
He also handled several other special projects and positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs including being the chairman of the National Committee on Illegal Entrants (NCIE), chairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Passport Irregularities (ICPI), Assistant Secretary General of the National Organizing Committee on the ASEAN Summit of 2007, the Global Forum on Migration and Development of 2008 and the Special Ministerial Meeting on the Non-Aligned Movement in 2009.
 
Lucenario earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, magna cum laude, from the Manuel L. Quezon University and obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1984 from San Beda College.
 
Lucenario was on his way to attend a three-day trip to visit two government projects in northern Pakistan with 10 other foreigners when the helicopter they were riding crashed.
 
He perished along with Norwegian Ambassador Leif Larsen, the wives of the envoys of Malaysia and Indonesia, and the two pilots manning the Pakistani military aircraft.
 
Authorities are currently investigating whether the crash is caused by mechanical failure or due to a terrorist attack by the Taliban. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News

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