My toast at FEF send off dinner in honor of his Excellency, Amb Raphael Perpetuo M Lotilla.

 Short version

My toast at FEF send off dinner in honor of his Excellency, 

Amb Raphael Perpetuo M Lotilla. 😊🍷

Dear fellow Fellows and Friends :

When FEF Pres. Calixto V. Chikiamco and i first proposed a despedida for Popo, he politely declined—until we assured him it would be bundled with our regular FEF dinner, with no additional fuel cost or carbon damage. 

This is, in fact, the second time he has resisted recognition: the first was when he declined a Supreme Court nomination out of humility and respect for tradition—proving that Popo’s instinct is always to serve, never to seek. After decades of public service, landmark reforms, and a lifestyle so austere it once qualified him for a subsidized electricity rate, the Vatican may be the only place left where he truly fits in.

Please raise your glasses to our fellow Fellow, a man for all seasons, the honorable—with a small “h”—his Excellency, Amb Popo Lotilla. Mabuhay!”  

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