Palace appoints career diplomats as new envoys

Sunday, April 24, 2011

DEPUTY Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte on Sunday announced the appointments of 17 new ambassadors, all of whom are career diplomats of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement over government-run dzRB, Valte congratulated Foreign Affairs spokesman Jose Eduardo Malaya III on his appointment as ambassador to Malaysia and announced the appointments of the following:

1. Belen Anota, as Ambassador to Australia, Republic of Nauru, Vanuatu,and Tuvalu Leslie Baja, as Ambassador to Switzerland, Liechstenstein
2. Victoria Bataclan, as Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, Committee of European Communities, and Council of the European Union

3. Virginia Benavidez, as Ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa

4. Generoso Calonge, as Ambassador to Israel

5. Leslie Gatan, as Ambassador to Canada

6. Eleanor Jaucian, as Ambassador to Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and the Republic of Serbia

7. Enrique Manalo, as Ambassador to the United Kingdom

8. Wilfredo Maximo, as Ambassador to Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica

9. Bayani Mercado, as Ambassador to Norway, Iceland, and Denmark

10. Menardo Montealegre, as Ambassador to Greece, Cyprus

11. Lourdes Morales, as Ambassador to the Netherlands

12. Ma. Cleofe Natividad, as Ambassador to Germany

13. Cristina Ortega, as Ambassador to France, Principality of Monaco

14. George Reyes, as Ambassador to Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Nicaragua

In a separate report, the Union of Foreign Service Officers of the Philippines (Unifors) welcomed the ambassadorial nominations of 17 career diplomats, believing it will provide a big boost to other career officials to work harder.

In a statement, Unifors President Jaime Victor Ledda said the move of President Benigno III simply proves that he has confidence and trust in the capabilities of career officials.

"These ambassadorial nominations and appointments is an affirmation of the President's support, trust, and confidence in the career foreign service corps," said Ledda.

He also commended Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario for also keeping true to his word that he wants to nominate the "least number of political appointees" during his tenure.

"Unifors thanks them and is renewing our commitment to serve overseas Filipinos and to advance the national interests in the international community," said Ledda.

For his part, Senator Franklin Drilon has repeatedly called on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to trim the number of its embassies. He said the DFA should save money by sending ambassadors and consuls to countries with significant economic ties with the Philippines or have a large population of migrant Filipino workers.New appointments also named Valte also disclosed the appointments of Vivencio Dizon and lawyers Jose Luis Gascon and Ibarra Gutierrez III as undersecretaries at the President's Office of Political Affairs.

Rafael Albert, Jose Emmanuel Escaro, and Reynaldo Flores were appointed as assistant secretaries, and Anna Marie Mae dela Vega was made Director III.

Meanwhile, Democrito Barcena has been designated as a director of the Philippine National Oil Company-Shipping and Transport Corp.

Antonieta Ibe is now a member of the board of the Local Water Utilities Administration and Danilo Augusto Francia was appointed assistant secretary of the Defense department, Valte said. (Jonathan de Santos/AMN/Sunnex)