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MABUHAY PRRD!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

‘Downsizing, not closing’

BY REY O. ARCILLA
MALAYA

‘An effective way to save on resources is to downsize and to appoint effective and efficient personnel.’

FOREIGN Secretary Albert “Amboy” del Rosario recently bared plans to close several diplomatic and consular offices abroad to “rationalize foreign service posts” and to effect savings.

Those reportedly to be closed include the embassies in Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Ireland, Palau and Venezuela and the consulates general in Saipan, Barcelona and Frankfurt.

A group of dedicated and concerned DFA foreign service officers has the following to say about the projected closures:

“It is true that there was a circular regarding “Rationalization of Foreign Service Posts” dated 30 March 2011 signed by Undersecretary Rafael Seguis instructing 59 posts to submit a two-page justification paper for their existence, focusing on the three pillars of Philippine foreign policy: national security; economic security; and protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of Filipinos overseas.

“However, after posts have complied, there was a complete blackout of information from the DFA. No further consultation or communication regarding the subject was made with the posts. Rowena Sanchez, senior special assistant of Seguis, headed the small group that drew up the final list. Initially, assistant secretaries were included but later, only junior officers attended important deliberations. For the record, the Office of the Undersecretary for Policy and the Office of European Affairs, in memoranda to the Secretary, did not favor closure of several European posts except for Bucharest.

“The list is arbitrarily colored by ‘favoritism’ and is not founded on a truly objective appraisal of the relevance/importance/contribution of some of the posts included to the three pillars of Philippine foreign policy. A proper, intelligent and dispassionate study of the facts and figures would have yielded a different list.

“If ‘rationalization of fiscal expenditures’ was the real objective, then it does not make sense to close down some of the posts in the list with a sizable number of Filipinos because the financial burden would then be shifted to the overseas Filipino who has to pay for long distance travel (by air in the case of Ireland with some 25,000 Filipinos, for example) to secure a passport or other legal documentation (oaths, notarization, etc.).

“An effective way to save on resources is to downsize and to appoint effective and efficient personnel. In some posts, the staff complement is disproportionately bigger than the need. Is the Filipino in San Francisco, for instance, more important than the Filipino in Ireland, Palau or Barcelona?

“The DFA will be appointing honorary consuls in countries where foreign service posts will be closed. Honorary consuls can never take the place of foreign service officers because they do not have the recognition that is exclusively given to diplomatic and consular agents by the host country. They owe no genuine loyalty to the Philippine Government or to the Filipino people. While they may be able to help in promoting economic relations, they are most effective in settings where there is a foreign service post to oversee their activities.

“Downsizing, not closing, is the way to rationalize resources while not sacrificing long-standing bilateral relations which are important to national interests – in terms of supporting Philippine positions on territorial issues, to candidatures, to lobbying for the opening of markets for goods and services.”

***

As a former member of the foreign service, I agree wholeheartedly with the above views. Also, Barcelona and Frankfurt have just been re-opened not too long ago. In the case of Barcelona which services a lot of Filipinos and is strategically located, a new consul general was assigned there three or four months ago.

Portugal, which hosts few Filipinos and is plainly less significant as far as security or trade ties with us are concerned, is not among those recommended to be closed. As I wrote last week, the reason is President Noynoy Aquino has nominated pawnshop mogul Phillipe Lhuillier to be ambassador to that country. Lhuillier served as political ambassador to Italy during the Estrada and Arroyo regimes for nearly twelve years, leaving a dismal record of performance.

The appointment of Lhuillier will definitely not be in accord with Noynoy’s “daang matuwid” principle which includes the appointment of qualified persons especially to sensitive positions in government, such as ambassador to another country.

I hope Noynoy realizes that all his efforts at improving governance will be for naught if he as much as contradicts himself even with a single appointment or retention of an unqualified person. He has to be consistent all the way.

And Noynoy should demand that of his cabinet members and all other officials.

For instance, his foreign secretary has not taken any action against one of his wards who had earlier been suspended for one year for conduct detrimental to the service. This same individual reportedly continues to ignore or defy his directive to turn over funds of the DFA Personnel Association of which he was posing as president for years without the benefit of re-election. (I asked the assistant secretary for administration and the DFA chief coordinator for confirmation of this report, but neither one replied. Perhaps, they are not aware of Noynoy’s quest for transparency in government.) For reasons known only to him, Del Rosario has allowed this person to get away with ignoring or defying his order. The appropriate criminal charge should have been filed against this employee a long time ago. Instead, Del Rosario has allowed him to set a very bad example for others. That is not consistent with “daang matuwid”.

***

To the credit of Del Rosario, he has finally instructed his future ex-undersecretary for administration Seguis to remove a junior officer from the Office of American Affairs (OAA). As I have written on at least two occasions, this officer has reportedly been engaged in conduct unbecoming of an officer while in the OAA. I am told she is now assigned to the Office of Consular Affairs.

***

Reminders (for Noynoy’s action):

1) Filing of charges against officials of the National Food Administration during Arroyo’s illegitimate regime. Noynoy himself said on several occasions that there is documentary evidence to prove the venalities in the past in that agency; 2) investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia; 3) facilitating the investigation of rampant corruption in the military and police establishments; and 4) expeditious action by the AFP on the case of Jonas Burgos.

***

From an internet friend:

Cool facts about the human body:

* Scientists say the higher your I.Q. The more you dream.

* The largest cell in the human body is the female egg and the smallest is the male sperm.

* You use 200 muscles to take one step.

* The average woman is 5 inches shorter than the average man.

* Your big toes have two bones each while the rest have three

* A pair of human feet contains 250,000 sweat glands.

* A full bladder is roughly the size of a soft ball.

* The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades.

* The human brain cell can hold five times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica.

* It takes the food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.

* The average human dream lasts 2-3 seconds.

* There are about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.

* Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil.

* Your thumb is the same length of your nose.

* When you are looking at someone you love, your pupils dilate, and they do the same when you are looking at someone you hate.

You measured your nose, didn’t you? Don’t lie!!!

***

Today is the 271st day of the fifth year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance.

***

Email: roacrosshairs@yahoo.com

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