“Bernie, as Ambassador Catalla was fondly called, has always lent a helping hand, to her family, friends and colleagues. Her ever ready smile and infectious laughter may have been extinguished but her dedication to our country will always be there as a guiding light for all members of the Philippine foreign service," the statement added.

Philippines Foreign Secretary Teodoro announced that Catalla passed away at 12:30 in the morning in one of Beirut’s hospitals, saying she was 62 years old.

“Amb. Bernardita M. Catalla passed away at 12:30 a.m. in the Beirut hospital where she was confined. I extended her for a great job in a difficult post, I promised her Paris so she'd hang on. But she just laughed, "Now I must learn French." She saw me to say goodbye last March 9,” he wrote on Twitter.