MANILA, Philippines — Last Wednesday evening I saw an email message from my former staff Lia Sale titled cryptically, “Manny Comia.”

I dreaded what that meant: Manny, my sherpa when I took over our embassy in Germany, had lost the fight vs. the Big “C.”

Manny was our advance man in Berlin, posted there to prepare for our embassy’s eventual transfer from Bonn. He was the intrepid FSO who made do with the DFA’s procrustean bed. He was our contact with the Filipino community – a natural who could run for Barangay Captain.

But despite the fact that we had been planning 7 years for the transfer, I would be shocked to find out on arriving on 1 May 1999 that our bean counters had not budgeted funds for the actual transfer.

(So what else is new)? For the first six months, the pundit Joe Guevara said that the Philippines was so poor that the ambassador lived in Berlin and worked in Bonn… with conjugal visitation rights to Berlin!

But we would do the near-impossible. My predecessor Ambassador Romy Arguelles had recommended a budget of R32/sqm for the embassy in Berlin. It was our good fortune that Manny found at Hamburgerstrasse corner Uhlandstrasse a 5th floor vacancy for DM19/sqm. Moreover, as a savvy former finance officer, he convinced the landlord to do the flooring, carpet, divisions, and electrical gratis, plus three-months rent-free… which we used to acquire essential office furniture. (My wife Victoria would source second-hand Deutschebank steel tables).

There was a little hiccup when the ergonomic leather chairs we ordered were repossessed by the supplier when payment did not arrive in time. So we were momentarily with desks but without chairs… reliving somewhat the Gift of the Magi on Christmas 1999.

In the event, we ended up with 400 sqm office space, plus another 300 sqm consular section of the south wing which doubled as a mini concert hall (Subsequently we scored a second-hand baby grand piano for our cultural attaché the coloratura Andion Fernandez). A Berlin Bear in our tricolor tricot by Banal Pasaiyo and Pierre... lifting a barbell was a landmark on exterritorial ground floor (set upon imported Philippine soil).

We raised from the dead the Philippine participation in the Hanover 2000 Fair…impresario-ed repeated performances of Piña@Pilipina.com concert (soprano Andion/Camille Lopez, tenor Raul Sunico/Lemuel Cueto, piano Aries Caces/Abel Galang) cum ballet (Bettina Escaño) cum fashion (Gilda Corder’s gowns by Salvador Bernal and Steve de Leon) at Hanover, Berlin, Dusseldorf, and Munich, and even fielded a championship Bones & Bears basketball team with the Filipino community.

I wouldn’t say that we did all these alone. We had a good complement, like our outstanding administrative officer cum protocol office Ms Luz van Opstal. But Manny was the man at my right elbow.

Alpine climbers always scale summits in pairs, like two men tied to each other. Manny, the doting husband of Annie and the solicitous father to Grace and his roughabout Adam, was that man I would trust.

Few envoys have the good fortune to have such a man to scale the summits with. DFA will honor Manny with necrological service at the Holy Trinity Chapel at Sucat Parañaque at 6:00 p.m. today.

SILVER LINING. If President Benigno Aquino III makes it back in time today to Manila after inspecting the damage and overseeing relief to earthquake victims in Negros, he will get a lift from inaugurating the expansion of the Lufthansa Technik hangar at Ninoy Aquino airport. The $30-million investment boosts Lufthansa Technik’s capability to service Airbus models A320, A330, A340, and A380, the world’s biggest and most technologically advanced commercial aircraft. The Philippines will be one of the few places of A380 maintenance in the world, securing the country’s place in the global aviation map.

MIND-BLOWING CAKE. It’s up, up, and away again at the 17th Hot Air Balloon Festival at Clark… a weekend of everything that flies. Twenty-eight balloons, including a novel birthday cake with 16 candles, will take 5 envoys who throw caution to the wind, (in a manner of speaking) – Christian Meerschman (Belgium), Agnes Nyamande-Pitso (South Africa), Josef Rychtar (Czech Republic), Guy Ledoux (European Union), Yohanes Kristiarto Soeryo Legowo (Indonesia), and Prasas Prasasvinitchai (Thailand). FEEDBACK: jz_aide@yahoo.com