The ambassador is said to be a Romblonon, meaning he comes from the province of Romblon. I am not sure if Romblon belongs to the Bicol region. But because his province is located between the Bicol region and the Visayas, he will fall under the protection of the Bicolano Association of Metropolitan Washington D.C. and Ang Bisaya, if both are still active. Romblon is also known for its marbles.....a tough, strong and beautiful decorative stone., so beware. Gaa is expected to assume his post late this month.

Psst...confidentially, the editor tells me Ambassador Gaa is his good friend. Is he giving me this unsolicited information so that I will perish any thought of writing impish things about him? No way, Jose! No one can gag me? There’s freedom of the press in the Manila Mail. (Boss, joke lang iyan.)

The cliques in the Philippine embassy, according to an embassy mouse, are now jockeying for position. Like the Talibans in Afghanistan, they are lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment. But first, they are trying to be the first to get the ambassador’s ear. But another clique warns that Ambassador Gaa is one who cannot easily be fooled. Abangan.

While the community gave Ambassador Albert and Mrs. Gretchen del Rosario a despedida party at the JW Marriot July 7, the local media had their own despedida with him at the posh Milano Cafe in Georgetown. The Mail’s Bing Branigin gave the ambassador a gift. Guess who paid the bill?

Col. Romy Prestoza, newly-appointed chief of the Presidential Security Group (his duty is to protect President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from destabilizers, the opposition and coup plotters), has not forgotten his friends in Washington D.C. Among them are Lito Katigbak and Bing Branigin of the Manila Mail who congratulated him on his appointment. The Prestozas have some “sweet” memories of the Manila Mail which most of the time spelled their name as Pristoza. Many times Mrs. Prestoza pleaded to the editor to spell her husband’s name right. No, he has no intention of blacklisting the Mail as a destabilizer.

The Washington Post’s “Diplomatic Dispatches” column by Nora Boustany must be sleeping in her coverage of the diplomatic beat. In her Friday, July 14 coumn, she said""In mid-July, Embassy Row usually quiets down as occupants retreat to their home capitals to sip lemonade in the share or escape to a favored vacation spot." Then she spoke of the high drama over the resignation of Colombian Ambassador Andres Pastrana and the Lebanese government’s decision to recall its ambassador, Farid Abboud.

There was not a line about the controversial recall of Philippine Ambassador Albert del Rosario which threw the community into a fit over the unceremonious way he was yanked out. There was nary a word about the despedida given by friends and the community. And the Philippine embassy is located only about three blocks from the Washington Post building.

Tsismoso is reprinting this column of Ellen Tordesillas because it is full of juicy tsismis. Her column, titled “A different kind of pilgrimage,” appeared in the July 3 issue of Malaya newspaper in Manila. It is about the seven-day trip of the Arroyo family and an entourage of over 50 by chartered Philippine Air Line jumbo jet to Italy and Spain.

Here goes:

Isn’t this interesting?

Juris Soliman, Mike Arroyo’s chief of staff, told reporters covering the Arroyo’s sojourn to the Vatican, Italy, and Spain (late last month), what a lovely sight it was seeing the Arroyo couple holding hands while shopping last June 27. “There were no politicians, no meetings and no cellular phones. They were just there for family bonding and for spiritual upliftment," the devoted Soliman said.

Arroyo arrived yesterday (July 2) without Mike Arroyo. Before leaving Spain, she told reporters, “My husband will remain in Spain and he will go to the place of Sta. Teresa of Avila because that is where his family came from."

That should dispel rumors that Mike is making another kind of pilgrimage to Switzerland before proceeding to San Francisco and back to Manila.

@9PTCA = * * *

There’s talk going around about an elegant lady who uses an alias when playing in elitist golf clubs with a gentleman friend. The lady’s real name is majestic and starts with the letter “E”.

“E” has been seen several times in a black, heavily tinted BMW picking up a heavyweight guy from a building in Makati, then to a waiting helicopter at Fort Bonifacio. Where they go, it must some place where they could enjoy each other’s company.

A source told us that “E” left for Zurich, Switzerland last Thursday.

Her itinerary in Switzerland includes a tour that would bring her to Lugano, known as the Italian part of Switzerland because it is close to Italy.

Our source said “E” is booked at a Lugano hotel that boasts of all rooms having a private balcony facing the lake.

Lugano is an ideal place for holding hands with a loving companion. An online tourism guide on Lugano said visitors can best enjoy the place by taking a walk along the southern peninsula through old villages and forests to the Riviera-esque village of Morcote; exploring Gandria village, clinging to one of the lake’s vertical shores; exploring the cobblestone streets of the old town; cruising on the lake -to view a panorama of mountains, water, villages and forests as far as you can see; or by alfresco indulgence on a warm day watching the world go by.

Included in E’s itinerary is Tuscany, known for its vineyards and being a repository of art from extraordinary paintings and sculpture to frescoes and architectural masterpieces.

Although, the source doubts if “E” and whoever she is with would explore Tuscany’s artistic offerings. They would probably just enjoy strolling along the charming lanes in Florence bounded by tall stone walls, cypress trees and cream-colored villas. “She knows good food and she’ll enjoy the wonderful wine and cuisine of Tuscany," the source said.

The highlight of this week’s European trip for “E” is the romantic city of Venice where she is booked at the 12th century Luna Hotel Baglioni in Sestiere Di San Marco’

Online information on Venice’s Luna Hotel Baglioni is impressive: “The Luna Hotel Baglioni stands out as one of the most elegant and luxurious hotels of Venice. Not only has it the honor of being Venice’s oldest hotel, but it also holds one of the finest and enviable locations in town. It’s in the heart of Venice just a few steps from Piazza San Marco, overlooking the basin and the island of San Giorgio. The 108 air-conditioned guestrooms feature a period-style decor with silkfabrics, chandeliers, objets d’art, marble bathrooms and antique furnishings."

Luna Hotel Baglioni is perfect for a guest who takes pride in his supposed distinguished ancestry because the hotel is described as having an aristocratic history: “In the 12th century, it was shelter for the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar were the earliest founders of the military orders that protected European pilgrims flowing into Jerusalem in the aftermath of the First Crusade of 1096."

By the 16th century, the Luna Hotel was well established as the “Locanda of the Luna" (The Moonlight Tavern).

“E” and her companion can take the hotel expert’s tip to “ marvel at the extraordinary architecture in the San Marco Square, take a gondola down the famous canals of Venice and catch a show at the Goldoni Theater, all within 200 meters of the hotel."