Leonides Caday, former PHL ambassador to Indonesia, dies

Former Philippine Ambassador Leonides Caday, who was nearly killed in a car bomb attack by suspected Jemaah Islamiyah militants in Jakarta 13 years ago, died Wednesday.
 

Foreign Affairs undersecretary Rafael Seguis, said the cause of Caday’s death is still unknown.

“He died in his residence in Quezon City this morning after having breakfast. We don’t have the details yet on the cause of his death,” Seguis told GMA News Online by phone

He was 83.

 

In August 1, 2000, a bomb was detonated outside Caday’s residence, severely injuring him. Two others were killed and 21 others, including his driver, were injured in the blast. The Al Qaeda-linked group Jemaah Islamiyah was blamed for the deadly attack.
 

“He was a very kind and generous man. He was a complete diplomat. He will be remembered for his tremendous contribution to the Philippine Foreign Service,” Seguis, who worked with Caday at the Department of Foreign Affairs, said.

 

Upon his recall from Indonesia, Caday served as Foreign Affairs adviser on terrorism and security threats and executive director at the Home Office until 2010.

He was also the first DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs.  

 

A seasoned career diplomat, Caday became deputy chief of mission at the Philippine Embassy in Washington and consul general at the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles.

 

Among his foreign postings as ambassador include Bahrain, South Africa and Indonesia, his last diplomatic assignment. — JDS, GMA News