When reports came out that Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alberto Romulo is keeping his post for at least 1 more year, many were disappointed.
It sends the wrong signal, according to observers of the diplomatic community interviewed by Newsbreak.
The DFA secretary is the President’s alter ego in the international community. If President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III wants to communicate his message of change, then he could do better than sticking it out with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s representative, critics of Romulo’s re-appointment said.
Foreign policy expert and Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello said Romulo has been too involved in the controversial agreements entered into by the Arroyo administration.
A number of these need to be reviewed by the new administration. Among them are the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) with China and Vietnam and the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
It’s unclear how long Romulo will keep his post.
INCOMPETENT?
The harsher critics of Romulo say he’s incompetent for the post.
The Union of Foreign Service Officers (Unifors), a group with about 300 members, describes Romulo as somebody who has been absent in most meetings with other state dignitaries. He is only represented by senior officers.
Unifors said Romulo is a mere political opportunist. They criticized his lack of delicadeza for staying in President Arroyo’s Cabinet when he openly supported the campaign of then presidential aspirant Aquino.
Seeking to stop Romulo’s re-appointment, Unifors sent President Aquino a white paper listing his alleged lapses. It was signed by, among others, DFA Assistant Secretary for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Victoria Bataclan.
The white paper didn’t achieve its purpose, however. President Aquino said Romulo’s support for him in the 2010 presidential elections is a factor that cannot be overlooked.
Newsbreak tried to get Romulo’s side through DFA spokesperson Eduardo Malaya, but Malaya said the issues raised by Unifors are not worth considering.
Former President Arroyo’s appointment of Romulo reflects the way her administration used the department to reward her supporters.
Instead of appointing career officials to ambassadorial posts, Arroyo appointed retired military and police officers who didn’t necessarily possess the necessary competence to perform their roles.
These included former chiefs of staff Alexander Yano (ambassador to Brunei), Generoso Senga (Iran), Roy Cimatu (Middle East), former military general Noe Wong (Cambodia), former navy officer Ernesto De Leon (Australia), former vice chief of staff Cardozo Luna (The Netherlands), and former Philippine National Police chief Vidal Querol (Indonesia).
This caused internal infighting in the DFA.Instead of focusing on issues that shape the country’s trade and security relations with other nations, the infighting became an additional burden to department officials.
To make the DFA effective, observers said it is crucial that President Aquino picks competent ambassadors in about 26 posts worldwide.
US, CHINA, AND JAPAN
In his inaugural speech, President Aquino highlighted his plan to focus on extending overseas Filipino workers the protection they need.
While that is laudable, University of the Philippines Asian Studies dean Mario Miclat said the new administration should also seriously look into the country’s economic and security relations with the United States and China while also boosting ties with the other development and trade partners of the country such as Japan, Australia, the European Union, and the ASEAN.
Miclat said one of the new government’s priority agenda should be to immediately review the necessity of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which is criticized for allowing the US troops to engage in combat exercises in Mindanao.
The VFA was originally aimed at facilitating military training exercises between the US and Philippine troops.
In 2009, various groups intensified calls to scrap the VFA because of the highly controversial rape case filed by a Filipina against Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith. The VFA was criticized for allowing Smith to remain under the custody of the US Embassy here even after a local court convicted him.
The local court’s decision was later reversed by the Court of Appeals, allowing Smith to return to the US.
Both Miclat and Bello said it’s imperative that the new government should also define the country’s relationship with China, which poses to eclipse the US as the largest economy in the world.
The JMSU, which lapsed last year, is set to test the new government’s stand on China.
The JMSU is a tripartite agreement between the Philippine National Oil Co., the China National Offshore Oil Co.(CNOOC), and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corp. (PetroVietnam) signed in 2005. Its objective is to measure the parties’ petroleum potential resource in the disputed Spratlys area in the South China Sea.
It was assailed as unconstitutional because it allegedly violated the National Patrimony provisions of the charter, which grants the Philippines the sole right to explore, develop, and utilize its resources. The JMSU allowed both state-owned entities CNOOC and PetroVietnam to explore Philippine territorial waters, which cover a portion of the Spratly islands.
Another agreement that needs to be reviewed is the JPEPA.
Lack of transparency haunted the approval of the Japanese-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement in 2006. The deal did not only aim to reduce import tariffs on various commodities, it also made the entry of caregivers and nurses into Japan a priority.
Environmental groups hit JPEPA, however, because it allegedly allowed Japan to use the Philippines as a dumpsite for toxic wastes, while groups of fisherfolk complained that the agreement will allow Japanese fishermen to access Philippine seas, serving as competition for the country’s already limited resources.
The administration of President Aquino will have to make big decisions in the international front. Miclat and Bello says the important thing is to make the process open.
Source: Newsbreak
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