Declarations of love at 4th of July fete

MANILA, Philippines - When Harry Thomas Jr. ends his stint in a few weeks as America’s top diplomat in Manila, he will be bringing back to the United States a Filipina partner named Mithi, and leaving behind one prominent admirer.

The ambassador bade his friends and embassy staff goodbye the other night at the chancery in Manila, at the advance Fourth of July celebration of the 237th independence of the United States.

“Mahal ko kayo at malapit kayo sa puso ko (I love you all and you are close to my heart),” Thomas told the gathering as he announced the approach of the time “when Mithi and I go back to the US.”

Mithi stood near the stage in an orange gown, occasionally capturing the occasion on a smartphone.

Thomas’ farewell was followed by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who lauded the two countries’ strategic partnership and said, “Harry, you’ve been just great and I love you.”

The two friends embraced twice on stage.

“We have moved forward in deepening and strengthening our relations,” Del Rosario said.

He recalled that in his two and a half years of working with the US ambassador, Thomas “never said no to me, and if he did, he succeeded in making me forget about it very quickly.”

Thomas, a native New Yorker, was divorced from his wife while posted in Manila. In his new assignment, he will be a diplomat-in-residence in Arizona, mentoring new entrants to the foreign service.

The diplomat met Mithi, a human resources specialist, on board a cruise ship. At the time, Mithi was giving a training course for the cruise ship’s staff and crew.

“Harry was smitten, sobra (very),” says a source close to the couple. “He was head over heels with her.”

Thomas had just gotten his divorce when he met Mithi.

Mithi grew up in Mindanao but graduated from the Manila Central University (MCU) in Caloocan City.

“Although she enjoys her new-found celebrity, she remains very down to earth,” the source added. “She takes the LRT, rides an FX van and even the jeepney when she is not with Harry.”

Mithi is “very articulate, very smart,” said the source. She is said to have shed a lot of weight when she went on a 500-calorie-a-day diet. At the July 3 gala, Mithi wore a gown that showed off her curves.

She is reportedly leaving with Thomas when he leaves for the US after his tour of duty in the Philippines.

“But of course,” said the source, “Harry and Mithi need the US State Department’s approval before they can marry.”