The case of the Filipino who fell from the sky

THE memorial tribute of the Philippine Ambassadors Foundation Inc. for the recently deceased former Ambassador Eusebio Abaquin brought back memories of our pleasant and eventful collaboration when he was the Ambassador to Indonesia and I was under his supervision as Consul General in Manado, the northernmost city of that country. Standing out among these memories is the case of a Filipino geologist, Michael de Guzman, probably the most interesting and difficult I handled in my career. Not only was it filled with intrigue and mystery, it illustrates the kind of challenges – to his physical and mental stamina and professionalism - a Filipino diplomat is called on to face in the course of his duties to protect Filipino nationals abroad whoever or whatever they are, come what may.

In was a most turbulent time in Indonesia. The 1997-98 financial crisis in Asia hit that country the hardest. There were violent demonstrations against the Suharto regime in Jakarta and other parts of the country. President Suharto was in fact losing his grip on power. The air in Indonesia was rife with get-rich schemes taking advantage of the falling rupiah and hedging against the growing instability of the country.