Ambassador Lauro L. Baja Jr., the country’s former permanent representative to the United Nations, has died, his nephew and Philippine Ambassador to Morocco Leslie Baja confirmed on his Facebook account on Friday. The elder Baja was 86.
Leslie Baja posted a photo of him being held as a baby by his uncle,who in another photo was seen presiding over the UN Security Council beside then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, on his social media page.
The images followed the words “Ambassador Lauro L. Baja, Jr., Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador & Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador to Brazil & Italy, 1937-2024.”
Other sources confirmed to the Standard the passing of Baja without giving any details. The Department of Foreign Affairs had yet to issue a statement on his death as of press time.
Born May 2, 1937, Baja presented his credentials to the UN Secretary-General on May 21, 2003, replacing former Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco.
Baja was replaced by former Chief Justice Hilario Davide in 2006.
At the UN, Baja led the Philippine delegation in a two-year membership in the Security Council. He was president of the Security Council, first in June 2004 and again in September 2005. Between 2003 and 2004, Baja was Chairman of the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee (Legal).
In 2003, Baja was conferred by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu, the highest award a member of the Philippine Foreign Service could receive.
In 1999, he received the Gawad Mabini Award with the rank of Dakilang Kamanong.
The Philippine Jaycees Senate named Ambassador Baja the Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Awardee for his outstanding work in the field of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.