Asec Elmer G Cato

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Asec Elmer G Cato Filipino. Journalist. Diplomat

It takes over an hour of steep hiking to reach the Army Patrol Base in Sitio Apia that overlooks the Wawa Dam in that st...
11/10/2026

It takes over an hour of steep hiking to reach the Army Patrol Base in Sitio Apia that overlooks the Wawa Dam in that stretch of the Sierra Madre in Rizal province.

While the sweeping mountain views are breathtaking, the daily reality for soldiers manning this outpost—and the upland communities surrounding them—is exhausting.

Every drop of water they need to carry up from the foot of the hill is drawn from unsafe open sources.

On Friday, we made that trek alongside our partners from Waves for Water and the 80th Infantry Battalion, 202nd Infantry Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army to help change this.

Thanks to the profound generosity of the Filipino diaspora—specifically Dr. Dely Go of TuGOn Amerika in the United States and Evelyn Revilla of Italtrans in Italy—we were able to turn over life-saving water filtration systems to Lt. Col. Miko Magisa and his troops.

During the turnover, our partners from Waves for Water demonstrated to the detachment just how simple and effective these kits are.

The scope of this initiative is staggering. A single kit costs only ₱3,300.00—roughly the equivalent of 300 bottles of mineral water—yet it can filter up to 3 million liters over five years, removing 99.9 percent of waterborne bacteria.

The filters we distributed will provide safe drinking water to nearly 500 individuals across far-flung sitios, some of which require up to three days of hiking to reach. Several forward Army detachments securing these isolated villages will also be equipped with the filters.

This mission is the latest chapter in a broader story of damayan. Our journey with Waves for Water—made possible after celebrity and fellow reservist Dingdong Dantes connected us—began in 2024 when we mobilized the Bayanihan Council of the Filipino Community in Northern Italy to aid Southern Luzon after Typhoon Kristine.

We partnered again with Waves for Water and Italtrans in 2025 for Cebu following Typhoon Tino. Just recently, we received support from Dely Go’s newly formed non-profit TuGOn Amerika. To date, our kababayan abroad have funded over 500 water filtration systems for communities in need.

As an Army reservist, I am proud to work alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines in bringing relief where it is needed most.

Through the unwavering bayanihan of our diaspora, we will keep working to ensure no community is left behind.

Tara, magalmusal tamu! Bisa kayung tidtad bituka? Diyos ko, kanyaman na! Dakal salamat PBrig. Gen. Joyce Patrick Sangala...
11/10/2026

Tara, magalmusal tamu! Bisa kayung tidtad bituka? Diyos ko, kanyaman na! Dakal salamat PBrig. Gen. Joyce Patrick Sangalang!

A few weeks ago, we paid a courtesy visit to Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan, Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)...
10/10/2026

A few weeks ago, we paid a courtesy visit to Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan, Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

We were there to express our appreciation for the support the Coast Guard has been extending to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), particularly through its K-9 Unit, which has been helping secure the Home Office.

We also took the opportunity to personally thank Admiral Gavan for the support the Coast Guard extended to us when we were serving in Tripoli at the height of the Third Libyan Civil War. It was the Coast Guard, through the BRP Gabriela Silang, that stood ready to come to our rescue should the situation take a turn for the worse.

As he prepares to bow out of the service next week, we salute Admiral Gavan for his outstanding leadership and steadfast commitment to protecting our nation’s maritime interests, defending our sovereign rights, and safeguarding what rightfully belongs to the Filipino people.

Admiral Gavan’s leadership has helped strengthen the Coast Guard’s role not only as a guardian of our seas but also as a symbol of our nation’s resolve to stand firm in defense of what is ours.

Fair winds and following seas, Sir!


We three Caballero classmates initially agreed on a popular kambingan in Angeles City to satisfy our craving for papaita...
08/10/2026

We three Caballero classmates initially agreed on a popular kambingan in Angeles City to satisfy our craving for papaitan and kaldereta, but even before we could head out there, Doc Walter convinced us to instead check out a different place he had been told about in Porac.

Doc Mandy was game, and off we went into the night. We hopped onto the SCTEX from Clark and nearly didn't make it—braking just in time to avoid unlit concrete barriers blocking an exit that wasn't operational yet.

After taking the very next exit, we took the wrong turn down a road that seemed to lead to nowhere. We turned back after we convinced ourselves we were lost, got our bearings, and found ourselves back on track. After a few minutes, there it was: Hacienda’s Kambingan and Lutong Bahay—glowing invitingly in the rural darkness.

Famished, we practically ordered everything on the menu—kaldereta, kilawin, papaitan, adobo, sinampalukan, and their bestselling smoke-grilled ribs. And, of course, plenty of rice.

All three of us gave Hacienda top marks. The rich goat dishes instantly transported us back to the kambingans of our youth on First Street in Balibago, which are sadly long gone. To top it all off, it was much more affordable than we expected.

The harrowing drive was entirely worth it. We’re already planning our next trip back.

Tara, magalmusal tamu!
08/10/2026

Tara, magalmusal tamu!

Thirteen years after he left us, we remember our esteemed media colleague, Jerry Lacuarta, former Pampanga correspondent...
06/10/2026

Thirteen years after he left us, we remember our esteemed media colleague, Jerry Lacuarta, former Pampanga correspondent for the Manila Bulletin, stringer for Agence France Presse and former President of the Pampanga Press Club.

Jerry was a mentor, friend, comrade and elder brother to me. He was among the few Pampanga-based journalists I deeply respected.

Jerry was among those who helped give birth to the Angeles Sun, the cause-oriented newspaper our group of young and idealistic Kapampangan journalists put together in the late 1980s.

He is not forgotten. Rest in peace, Ka Jerry.

I had just taken my backpack from the Venza in Maspeth, Queens, one October afternoon 13 years ago when an NYPD patrol c...
05/10/2026

I had just taken my backpack from the Venza in Maspeth, Queens, one October afternoon 13 years ago when an NYPD patrol car that had been lingering nearby suddenly turned toward me and stopped.

“Excuse me, Sir,” the police officer called from the driver’s seat as I was about to cross Caldwell Avenue. “Can you please step closer?”

I walked over to the officer. As I free closer I noticed him pointing an unfamiliar device at me.

“You just came from somewhere, Sir?” he asked, his eyes shifting toward the backpack I was holding.

“I just came from my cardiologist.”

“How long ago?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

Several cars passed us, their drivers looking in my direction, perhaps wondering why I was standing beside a police car that was partially blocking the road.

“Did you take something there?” the officer asked.

I took a closer look at the object he was pointing at me.

“Yes, I had some tests.”

“What kind of tests?”

“One was a stress test. A nuclear stress test.”

“That explains it,” the officer said. “You’re radioactive.”

I looked at him.

“How would you know?” I asked.

He showed me the device and pointed it at me again.

“See the way it’s acting up?”

Now I understood.

He asked for my identification. I pulled out the diplomatic ID issued to me by the State Department and handed it to him. He apologized and took down my details.

“Sorry about this, Sir, but I’m required to have a record of this. It’s nothing serious,” he said politely.

By then, my curiosity had taken over.

“So all NYPD police cars have that radiation device?”

“Only a few of us have this. I happen to belong to a counterterrorism unit,” he replied. “I picked up the radiation signal down the road, and it got stronger here.”

That caught my attention.

“You thought I was carrying a nuclear weapon or something?”

“Well, if what you told me didn’t add up, I would have had to separate you from your backpack.”

That immediately reminded me of The Peacemaker, the 1997 George Clooney–Nicole Kidman movie about a terrorist trying to detonate an improvised nuclear device he was carrying in a backpack in New York.

I looked at my backpack.

“Would you want to check it?”

“No need, Sir. You’re free to go.”

* Photo below was AI-generated.

We just could not resist capturing this view on the Skyway as we were driving back to Angeles late this afternoon. We ju...
04/10/2026

We just could not resist capturing this view on the Skyway as we were driving back to Angeles late this afternoon. We just had to take that shot.

On the 16th anniversary of his passing, we remember Anthony Dee for the many lives he touched and for the friendship tha...
03/10/2026

On the 16th anniversary of his passing, we remember Anthony Dee for the many lives he touched and for the friendship that began more than three decades ago.

At the height of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Anthony opened the doors of his telephone company to two strangers coated in volcanic ash—Elmer Cato and Chandler Ramas.

Because there were no operators on duty at Datelcom at the time, it was Anthony who personally connected our call to the Philippine Daily Globe in Manila. We will never forget that act of kindness, which allowed us to report on the ongoing cataclysm.

Anthony was a generous, dedicated man who did so much for the people of Mabalacat. A true Boy Scout leader at heart, he was always ready to lend a helping hand and is fondly remembered for establishing the local volunteer fire brigade.

Many believe Anthony would have served wonderfully as mayor of Mabalacat had he been allowed to take the seat he rightfully won.

Today, we see Anthony’s spirit alive in his son, Timothy, who carries on his father’s legacy as leader of the fire brigade and as an elected member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Mabalacat.

Even while recovering from a recent eye procedure that should have kept him resting at home, Timothy did exactly what his father would have done—he stepped up to help extinguish the fire that recently gutted the Angeles City Public Market.

Like father, like son. Anthony’s spirit of service lives on.

We first met Jun Lopez more or less 40 years ago. We were not even in our 20s then but we were both already corresponden...
03/10/2026

We first met Jun Lopez more or less 40 years ago. We were not even in our 20s then but we were both already correspondents for Ang Pahayagang Malaya covering a tumultuous period in our history.

The last time we were with Jun was during a coverage with other media colleagues deep in the Sierra Madre mountains.

Jun stayed with Malaya until he carved out a career in the Senate. Our paths didn't cross again until recently—at the recent budget hearing for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The hearing was chaired by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who, fittingly enough, was also part of our old Malaya newsroom family.

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