44 Years in the Foreign Service: Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia Tata Puzon-Mayo

Paglalarawan

”Why don’t you become an ambassador instead?” was Tata Puzon-Mayo’s father’s response when - as a little girl - she told him she wanted to be a flight attendant - because he was a commercial pilot.But that wasn’t the only time Amba Tata’s destiny was carved out for her. As she stepped into college in DLSU, she wanted to take journalism. But after failing the interview, went to the comfort room to have a good cry and accidentally overheard a conversation of two women who worked for an embassy. As she emerged from her cubicle, Amba Tata asked what course they had taken so they could get into diplomacy. They said: Asian Studies. That was the course the ambassador took. And the rest was a 44 year history on the frontlines of the foreign service.Those 44 years are peppered with stories of the experiences of Pinoys abroad that the ambassadorWas privileged to be part of: when they are wronged, when they die abroad after working so hard to leave behind his life savings, when they accidents and ordeals, when other nationals admire how Pinoys can come together in times of great distress. And so many other stories, mga kwento na napakasarap pakinggan.I am so sure you will find Amba Tata’s stories of 4 decades on the foreign frontlines - fascinating.