The comment of Secretary for Government Media Serge Remonde on the appointment of Rigoberto Tiglao, head of the Presidential Management Staff, as ambassador to Greece reveals Malacañang’s low regard of ambassadorial assignments.
Remonde said, “He (Tiglao) has undergone a serious heart operation and he deserves to take it easier.”
What does that make of the Department of Foreign Affairs, an R & R (rest and recreation) destination?. If that’s the case, they might as well name Norberto Gonzales, the national security adviser who had gone on leave to have his heart ailment treated in a hospital in Sweden, as ambassador too.
Gonzales needs to be rewarded for keeping the truth from the public on the extent of the involvement Gloria Arroyo and her brother, Diosdado “Buboy” Macapagal Jr. in the Venable LLP contract that will lobby for the United States to intervene in the crafting of a new Philippine Constitution.
Tiglao, in a text message to a contemporary Philosophy major at UP, said it has always been his dream to read Socrates in the original.
That’s probably why he chose Greece because in his favored position, he could choose any post he wants, vacant or not, and it would be given to him.
A blogger in uniffors.com , the blogsite of the underground group of foreign service officers, is not so impressed. ” Well, he can do it in Manila. He does not have to do it in Athens. And modern Greek is very different from ancient Greek. Or didn’t they teach him that in the clerico-fascist university he attended?”
Malaya reader Art Lagundi surmised that GMA and Tiglao must have “read the writing on the wall. Tiglao is being sent out to prepare the escape route.”
Lagundi’s guess is close to what I gathered talking with persons closely monitoring the political situation. Tiglao knows his president will not last long. He knows the end would be messy and he doesn’t to be here when it happens. That’s why one of those we talked with said, “he is running away.”
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, former AFP chief of staff, said the restive military officers are watching closely the composition of anti-GMA groups, the leaders and the issues being raised. Another military source said the active officers are concerned that the rallies are dominated by red flags, the militant left.
A retired military office said enlightened active officers are agonizing with the way the military was used and being used by Arroyo referring to the “Hello Garci” tapes which exposed the involvement of military officers to rig the 2004 elections. They are furious over the court martial of Brig. Gen. (ret.) Francisco Gudani and Lt. Col. Alexander Balutan for speaking the truth while those who helped subvert the will of the people were untouched, even promoted.
The source said whereas two months ago, the restive officers were content with being considered in the “military component” of the political groups offering alternatives to GMA, they are now entertaining the idea of a “military takeover”. Who they will decide to turn over power to and how would be resolved later. The retired officer said, “I’m worried because we are not trained to govern.”
Tiglao is lucky to be away when it happens.
Knowing that their days are numbered, friends of the Arroyos are making the most of it. Like Police Director Pedro Bulaong, who is lobbying that his son, Marvin, be hired as employee at the Philippine consulate in Osaka.
The young Bulaong used to work in Malacañang but had to be terminated due to his personal problems. He is now in Osaka and is always in the company of a certain Pepito Vergara, a promoter who reportedly fond of bragging about his close connection with Mike Arroyo.
Career foreign officers are watching how Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo is going to handle requests of such kind from Arroyo and her political allies. They are dismayed that Malacañang is pushing for the nomination of socialite and former Guimaras Governor Emily Lopez as ambassador to Italy despite complaints by two of her domestic workers for maltreatment. Lopez’ appointment is being pushed by House Speaker Jose de Venecia.
While many of the officers are waiting for their foreign assignments, embassies abroad are without ambassadors which is an insult to the host country.
Malaysia has been manned by chargé d’affaires Luis Cruz, a competent officer, for more than a year because Vic Lecaros, outgoing ambassador to Vietnam, has not been confirmed yet.
Meanwhile, Estrella Berenguel, incoming ambassador to Vietnam, has been staying in a hotel in London, paid for by Filipino taxpayers. By the time Berenguel goes to Hanoi, she would be nearing the retirement age of 65 which is against DFA rule that an officer should not be posted abroad two years before retirement age.
There is also the anomaly of an over-staying ambassador in Prague, Carmelita Salas. Does she have a franchise for that position?
E-mail from Kuvut Binulgan:
Dear ma’am,
I always read your column and recently you mentioned posts abroad which do not have ambassadors.I am just reminded by what my friend told me that another post which did not have an ambassador for almost two years is Belgium. According to my friend since, the transfer of the former ambassador to another post in Europe they haven’t found a replacement. Well, we read from the news about a columnist who was appointed but did not yet pass the incessant questionings of the CA. If it’s true that he was not able to impress the honorable members of the CA regarding the European Union then so be it. Appoint a career officer who is more fitted to represent the country not only to Belgium but also to the European Union. I personally believe that a career officer of high caliber should be posted in Belgium specifically because Brussels is the seat of the European Union. Moreover, the embassy in Brussels is the Mission also of the Philippines to the European Union . Why not appoint senior career officers in important post like E-Brussels. Two years is too long for an important post to be vacant.
I hope you would also help in having this discussed in your column so that they will be reminded also of Brussels.
Thank you and more power.
Inquirer Columnist Amando Doronila was nominated as ambassador to Brussels but he didn’t pass the Commission on Appointment. The last info I got was, his name is not included among those submitted by Malacañang last week for confirmation. That means it’s the end of the road for Doronila’s dream to be ambassador.
Clemencio Montesa was the last Philippine ambassador to Belgium. He was taken out of there and transferred to Hamburg when his Pinay domestic helper filed a maltreatment case against him. Montesa is now back in Manila (If I’m not mistaken, he is now retired). So both Belgium and Hamburg are vacant.
There are many more posts that are vacant. Cambodia has also been vacant for two years. But it will soon be filled because the outgoing ambassador to Greece, Lourdes Morales, will be going there.
DFA insiders said the problem is with the Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, who can’t seem to move without Malacañang’s approval.
Galing SANA kung bumaliktad lang si Bobi. Dami niyang alam at tulad rin ni GMA nanawagan na ang mataimtim na tinig ng Kasaysayan :”Pencils down, pass your paper please!”
Mukhang malabo siyang bumaligtad. Remember, he was one of those who lambasted the Hyatt 10 for turning against GMA.
Greece is the land of Socrates, who died with purpled lips for the truth. Or did I get THAT story wrong?
hi ms ellen,
wala ba talaga mapili na pwede ipalet kay gma siya
lang ba ang matalino? para sa akin ang kkailangan
ng bayan natin ay maypuso at bayan lang iniisip ang
dapat maupo sa malankayang , kase taas ng tingin ng
pilipino kung ang isang tao ay matalino. kaya madaling mapaikot ang buhay natin, kaya wala rin
nabago, bakit si lacson okay namankung siya ang uupo
tahimik ang pinas, siniralang ni gma si lacson dahil para siya ang makaupo kasama na pati asawa nya fg na bundat ang tyan. alam mo makita ko lang sa tv ang
mag asawa yan tumutubo ang sungay ko sa ulo.
fg na mukha bundat na sa kakukurap,
Ang isang rason kung bakit hindi nagkakaisa ang oposisyon ay dahil marami ang gustong pumalit kay Arroyo. Ibig sabihin noon marami sa atin ang qualified maging president. kaya dapat matanggal si ang hindi ibinoto ng tao sa Malacañang. Mag-eleksyon at makapili ang tao kung sino ang gusto nila. Ang mahalaga ay makapili tayo ng ating pangulo sa demokratikong paraan na walang dayaan.
Dear Maam Ellen.
para sa akin.di ako naniniwala na walang ipapalit kay GMA.pag naalis sya.marami dyan.ayaw nga lang mag kaisa ang lahat ng nag nais na maalis sya.mag kaisa kayo para maalis si gloria mandaraya at sinungaling.habang naka upo yan.lalo pang mag hihirap ang bansa natin,kaya bumaba ang piso ngayon dahil mag papasko na.marami ang nag papadala ng remmitance.kasama ako doon,kaya huwag syang hangal.darating ang oras ay kakarmahin ka rin.
Gumagalang.
jun gelacio.
yamate yokohama japan.
Thanks. I hope visiting this blog is worth your while.
DFA reeks of favoritism and palakasan.
Let’s take the subject of casuals hired by our embassies abroad. I have a friend who is posted in Asia and is disgusted by the fact that a certain “local hires” in that part of the globe who only worked with the embassy/consulate for few years were given items, reason? They are somebody’s relative in Malacanang, in short, they have the proper connections.
What happens to other local hires all over the world who are not well connected but worked hard for embassies/consulate? Most of these employees have worked for more than 10 years, but remain just that, “casuals”. Will they ever get proper recognition or even get the same compensation and perks as compared to the DFA employees posted abroad?
Ma’am, I hope you bring this matter up when the time is right because this is really unfair to those who are slugging it out in the said government office and are not even paid well.
I want to congratulate you on your new blog. More power to you and God Bless!!!
One would think that DFA, being in the forefront in our international relations, would be spared of political patronage. But that does not seem to be the case. It’s even more attractive because it involves working abroad,which is the dream of most Filipinos.
We can only expose and criticize and hope that our leaders will act.
Dear Ms. Tordesillas
Just recently, we read your column about the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) being a haven for R & R. We grinned, for you saw the strand that defines the workings and institutional culture of the DFA. But it also moved us to shed tears of frustration because you failed to see the tapestry. Or maybe, you have far too many friends in the DFA that you cannot afford to spite for various personal and professional reasons.
The DFA has always been a silent casino for dispensing political favors and influence, the ties that link Malacanang with our legislators, and other people with extensive social and/or economic capital. The stakes are in the form of foreign assignments and appointments. Compromises and accommodation define the rule of this casino, and this rule became more pronounced with the remission of the impeachment fever.
Compared to other presidential appointments (e.g., PAGCOR, SBMA), the compromises and accommodation involving appointments in the Foreign Service are more difficult to track. It is seldom that the public gets a glimpse of the forces at work behind ambassadorial appointments, foreign assignments or “hiring at-foreign posts” of favored individuals. Too few people even know that there is such a thing called the Foreign Service Law (RA 7157), which should guide these appointments and hiring.
Ms. Tordesillas identified some of the personalities that traipse on the rules by way of their connections. Mr. Rigoberto Tiglao, former Gen. Bulaong’s son (who is now employed by the Philippine Consulate General at Osaka), Amb. Salas (Prague), and Gov. Lopez (Guimaras) top her list. However, what she does not see is that the Foreign Service has been so bastardized internally that makes it highly vulnerable to external intercessions. At the upper ranks of its leadership, peer-accommodation makes a mockery of integrity and professionalism. From the mid to the lower ranks, down to the rank-and-file, the ordinary (i.e., unconnected to any person of influence) officers’ and employees’ trepidation over the future of their careers, professional reputation, and work environment renders them mute and unprincipled followers.
Go ahead, Ms. Tordesillas, why don’t you ask the DFA officers and employees why the DFA should be considered the premier government agency under this condition? Can somebody still consider it a haven to this country’s crème a la crème, when they tolerate grave dishonesty among their ranks and thrive on “interconnectivity”? Allow us to cite a specific point that will probably enable Ms. Tordesillas to see the tapestry.
There is this very high official in the DFA official who goes by the name of Ms. Ma. Lourdes Ramiro Lopez. According to the records of the DFA, Ms. Ramiro Lopez entered the DFA in 1971 by appointment (she did not take the foreign service examination). Since then, she served in various positions within the DFA (just like a career foreign service officer who passed the examination) and was even promoted just like a career foreign service officer. If Ms. Tordesillas daresay that Amb. Salas has a title to the country’s diplomatic post in Prague, then Ms. Lopez’s appointment seems to have no expiry. Or does the DFA and Malacanang already consider her as a career officer of the Foreign Service. If so, on whose authority?
Ms. Ramiro Lopez did not finish her bachelor’s degree, and yet, she was even promoted and appointed to the rank of Chief of Mission I in 1999 (Ambassador). Ms. Tordesillas, you are too familiar with the DFA personalities enough to know that Ms. Ramiro-Lopez used to be the DFA’s Assistant Secretary for United Nations and International Organizations. As an Assistant Secretary, she sat on the Board of Foreign Service Administration, whose many tasks include deliberating on the qualifications, promotions and sensitive cases of DFA career officers and employees.
It seems that the Ms. Ramiro-Lopez does not see any wrong from what she is doing since even to this date, there is no effort on her part to end the fraud and rectify its results. As a fellow civil servant, will the President be indignant of her continuing misrepresentation and dishonesty, which mock the professional qualifications that have been set (and others continue to labor to qualify)? Will not the President also find repugnant the fact that Ms. Lopez, who used to handle UN matters in the DFA, was in a position to influence the country’s foreign policy and decide on the qualifications and professional career of others when she, herself, lacks those qualifications? Or perhaps, the President will just turn away because she will just be seeing a mirror of her own image?
Now, we know that it is impossible for her to continue this fraud for a long time without the knowledge of the head of the DFA’s administration. But with such self-serving luminaries as former Senator Angara, a nephew of the First Gentleman, and even (career) Ambassador Siazon all of whom supported her assignment to Osaka as Consul General (yes, the same place where Gen. Bulaong’s son is currently employed), we now understand how Ms. Ramiro-Lopez is able to maintain and perpetuate her dishonesty, misrepresentation and capricious wants (would you believe that she want to go to Osaka on business class? Parang hindi naghihirap ang bayan).
We are wondering whether there is no vacancy for any ambassadorial posts abroad that Ms. Ramiro-Lopez is willing to settle for the designation of Consul General. Or is she afraid to face the Commission on Appointments? Is there a connection between her appointment there and the developer of the Philippine properties in Japan who has ACCRA as counsel?
Ms. Tordesillas, while others may argue that she has served the agency with excellence, we want to lay emphasis on the point that integrity is one of the indispensable cornerstones of excellence. Dignity and professionalism cannot be built on dishonesty and consistent lies.
We have aired our concern to the DFA repeatedly, but we have been used to their silence that we now believe that there are many more Ramiro-Lopez’s in varying levels and ranks in that agency. Surely, Ms. Tordesillas, you will agree that it is time to destroy this tapestry of accommodations and horse trading that de-professionalize the DFA for these demean and distort the public servants’ serious efforts to be, and worth as qualified professionals?
About us, we might be a nascent group of concerned civil servants today that does not have the credibility and record of Malaya and its battery of hard-hitting heralds of truth and truth seekers, but we are committed to integrity because that is the only thing that this government cannot plunder from us. We are not blind followers of a naked emperor.
KAWANI SA INTEGRIDAD AT PAGKAKAISA (KAISIP-KAISA)
November 10, 2005
I share the frustrations and commitment of Kaisip-Kaisa to protect the integrity of the DFA. But I disagree with its depiction of Mrs. Ma. Lourdes Lopez.
I am a career official who passed the FSO exams in the 1970s. I initially viewed officers who entered the career service through direct appointment – the so-called certified people – with great reservations but after observing how some of them performed, I learned to respect and even admire two individuals who stood out from the rest: Mrs. Lopez and Miss Cynthia Guevara.
I do not know about the academic background of Mrs. Lopez but I would assume that if she had lacked the appropriate degree she would have remedied that condition before submitting her papers to the Office of the President. Even if she had not done it, which I think is improbable, the possession of a college degree is not a guarantee of competence, integrity and dedication.
I have seen Mrs. Lopez in action both abroad and in the home office and she has displayed something extra which I do not see in many of our female officers: finesse, breeding, and excellent human relations. This is perhaps the reason why Amb. Siazon endorsed her application for the post in Osaka over those of other candidates like Mrs. Minerva Falcon.
It is perhaps her skill in interpersonal relations that would have made her easily sail through any CA confirmation hearing had there been any need to do so. I don’t believe she chose a consulate general for fear of the CA. As a matter of fact, I think she should have been given an embassy instead of a consulate general because she would be a more effective representative of the country doing diplomatic work.
Our sharp difference of opinion over Mrs. Lopez notwithstanding, I wish your organization more power and sucess because the country and the Department need more committed entities like yours in these difficult and confused times.
Mr. Vero:
Your latin name hints at truth but apparently, you are a blind follower of a naked emperor.
1. You said: I do not know about the academic background of Mrs. Lopez but I would assume that if she had lacked the appropriate degree she would have remedied that condition before submitting her papers to the Office of the President.
Our reaction: Such blind, unconditional faith! But public service is not about faith. That is why our government has checks and balances. You DO NOT KNOW about her academic background but you ASSUME that she would have remedied it.
Go ahead, Mr. Vero, why don’t you ask the academic institutions she attended? You can verify what we wrote. But face the facts, whatever they would be, for you alone can prove or disprove your own assumptions–they, being too subjective.
2. You said: “Even if she had not done it, which I THINK IS IMPROBABLE, the possession of a college degree is not a guarantee of competence, integrity and dedication.”
Our comment: There is no known guarantee of competence, integrity, and dedication but Mr. Vero, why do you think that our civil service rules and your RA 7157 are there?
Following your logic, let us petition the CSC to remove the educational attainment qualification then. Let us hire on the basis of on-the-job training? Let us not wonder why the DFA has to make this as a qualification when somebody applies for a job (and want to take the exam)? We are appalled that you do not find it wrong for her to sit as a judge of other people’s qualifications when she, herself, lacks those qualifications.
Mr. Vero, why do not you ask your Office of Administration how many people in the DFA have stopped dead on their climb to the appointment and promotion rungs of the DFA just because they do not have the qualifications? Why do not you stand witness for them? Is it because they do not have finesse, breeding, and excellent human relations like Ms. Lopez?
You might vouch for the character, competence, and other redeeming attributes of Ms. Lopez but remember that there are also an equal, if not, more number of people within and without the DFA that say otherwise. That is why rather than deliberating this matter with a splash of personal linkages and subjective witnessing, Kaisip-kaisa looks at this matter from a systemic point of view. We stand by the things that we know are verifiable.
There are real officers in the Department of Foreign Affairs and they will never need an apologist for they earned their stripes fair and square.
3. You wrote: It is perhaps her skill in interpersonal relations that would have made her easily sail through any CA confirmation hearing had there been any need to do so.
Mr. Vero, why do not you ask your office of administration a copy of her resume? There, you will find a “projection” that she has the academic requirement, but no definitive proof.
On a more cynical level, following your logic Mr. Vero, we think that glib swindlers (e.g., illegal recruiters) would sail through any CA confirmation hearing easily with their exceptional interpersonal relations’ skills, too had there been any need for them to do so.
The point, Mr. Vero is that the DFA officials (like you) have accepted her “projections” and “posturings.” If you are a diplomat, you will remember then US President Ronald Reagan’s admonition: “trust but verify.” The bible has its own version: was it Paul who said “search the scriptures”?
DFA’s office of administration and the CSC demand DFA employees to submit their academic records for they are required. Those who cannot show proof are not promoted (or not given an item, or their contracts are not renewed) EVEN IF THEY HAVE PROVEN THEMSELVES TO BE CAPABLE. Are you implying that we should take an exception to your Ms. Lopez because she already has proven herself? As we have written to Ms. Tordesillas–“…while others may argue that she has served the agency with excellence, we want to lay emphasis on the point that integrity is one of the indispensable cornerstones of excellence. Dignity and professionalism cannot be built on dishonesty and consistent lies.”
4. You wrote: I don’t believe she chose a consulate general for fear of the CA. As a matter of fact, I think she should have been given an embassy instead of a consulate general because she would be a more effective representative of the country doing diplomatic work.
No matter what YOU (or Pedro, Juan or Juana) believe, support our recommendation that henceforth, CM I’s should be assigned to embassies, not consulates.
5. You wrote: I have seen Mrs. Lopez in action both abroad and in the home office and she has displayed something extra which I do not see in many of our female officers: finesse, breeding, and excellent human relations. This is perhaps the reason why Amb. Siazon endorsed her application for the post in Osaka over those of other candidates like Mrs. Minerva Falcon.
It seems the source of your belief is rooted on knowing the person personally (and along with this, we can forget the rules and regulations, then?) and your unabashed admiration. You said you see “something extra which I do not see in many of our female officers: finesse, breeding, and excellent human relations.” We wonder what the other female members of the foreign service would think! But then, this is what you think, and everybody is entitled to his/her own opinion, (how convenient) right?
Mr. Vero, give us, Ms. Tordesillas, and the other readers something that is verifiable. What you are telling us are things borne of your mere say-so. The onus is upon you to factually disprove what we have researched and written.
Also, our point is not just about Ms. Lopez. She is just an illustration. She is just a thread in the whole tapestry characterized by interconnections of accommodation, compromise, and horse-trading among people and cohorts of influence.
6. You wrote: I am a career official who passed the FSO exams in the 1970s. I initially viewed officers who entered the career service through direct appointment – the so-called certified people…
Mr. Vero, you are not being truthful and it shows. Our sources in the Department can readily smell and spot a false claim. Your ignorance of the reason why Ms. Falcon failed to make it as Consul General of Osaka is a giveaway for the compelling reason is an elementary knowledge for old timers in the Department. If you are too young or old to remember, start your recollection in Hawaii.
An old timer will not even make such a naive guess as yours when you you wrote that the reason why Amb. Siazon (perhaps) endorsed her application for the post in Osaka over those of other candidates like Mrs. Minerva Falcon is because she “has displayed something extra which I do not see in many of our female officers: finesse, breeding, and excellent human relations.” An old timer will know how she comported herself as a professional under then Amb. Raul Rabe.
Our subjective guess is that if you are not her close friend, you are just a junior officer (who used to work under Ms. Lopez) and is now masquerading as an officer who entered the service in 1970. Again, subjectively, you might be an employee who is not privy to the records and events in the Department–good or bad.
We know that Ms. Falcon nearly made it to Osaka for her papers was already signed in Malacanang (yes, we have seen it before), and Ms. Falcon can thank the same system of connections, accommodations, and compromises. It just so happened that Ms. Lopez’s benefactors and connections are much stronger, and Ms. Falcon has this monkey on her back since Hawaii.
And if your definition of finesse and breeding Mr. Vero, is synonymous to extravagance and caprice, then your Ms. Lopez well qualifies. Verify, Mr. Vero, with your travel office how she intends to travel. We already exposed it and her request is already in Malacanang anyway: business class. By the way, you can also ask PAL.
7. You wrote: Our sharp difference of opinion over Mrs. Lopez notwithstanding…
You are the one who expressed your subjective opinion and we daresay, unabashed admiration bordering on the people who praised the clothes of the naked emperor. What we enumerated are verifiable leads. You might want to do the verifying yourself, Mr. Vero, even just to live up to the root word of your chosen name.
We maintain that it is time to destroy this tapestry of compadrazgo, accommodations, horse trading that de-professionalize the DFA (and all other government agencies)for these demean and distort the public servants’ serious efforts to be, and worth as qualified professionals.
We stated it and will state it again: integrity is one of the indispensable cornerstones of excellence. Dignity and professionalism cannot be built on dishonesty and consistent lies.
The lines of the Fates to the gods who were backing Hector (regarding his imminent death in the hands of Achilles) are worth remembering: “if you will show compassion for Hector the Trojan, because you know him, what hinders you from extending the same compassion to Achilles and the rest of the other Greek champions when their time comes?”
As the rank-and-file and lower officers are weighed and qualified, so all the others, including your Ms. Lopez (and a host of other DFA high-ranking officers) should be weighed and qualified.
Go ahead, Mr. Vero. Unnecessarily magnify unabashedly a person(s) extraordinary qualifications and character to the point of exception at the expense of the institution. As Marcos had Ver, so Ms. Lopez has you. Sing praises as to why she can keep her appointment (that never lapsed), why she are treated like a career officer when she is not. Justify the exception, and soon, you will discover that there are a thousands others like her in the professional service (and thousands others like you who act as their apologists.
Rest on your subjective assessment, your personal valuations and regard for the person(s) at the expense of institutions and principle of non exclusivity and there, Mr. Vero, you will find the origins of our civil service’s bastardization and de-professionalization.
Maybe, the DFA’s FSI should change the qualifications on how one can join the foreign service and save millions of pesos in the process: just accept the applicants based on the loaded, personal assessment of friends and people who are in power and/or influence.
Kaisipkaisa,
I do not have the diplomas to prove Mrs. Lopez’s academic qualifications. If it is true that you have really researched her background, then show us what you have. Or are we to take it all on your say-so?
I know about Mrs. Falcon’s appointment and other matters that I did not feel needed to be brought out but since you started it, let us examine one fact which you feel was crucial in Mrs. Falcon’s not having secured the posting to Osaka: the BFSA case involving her appointment as administrator and trustee of the properties of a Filipino in Hawaii, contrary to Foreign Service regulations that prohibit us from accepting such appointments.
The case was settled only after Mrs. Falcon returned and accounted for the properties under her administration but there was no finding as to her administrative liabilities for having taken on a highly irregular appointment.
It was the same case that made former Secretary Guingona reject her application to be sent to Taiwan.
Now between someone with an administrative case that was never resolved properly and one without such baggage, who should be chosen to head our consulate in Osaka? The one with the diploma from the UP College of Law, right? Now don’t give me the nonsense about one of them using connections and influence to get the appointment because I know that your candidate with the law degree also used her connections and influence to get her papers through even if others had already been programmed for that post.
So Mrs. Lopez wants to travel business class to Osaka. Big deal. As far as I know, OFM approves such applications for travel of a head of post to assume his or her duties for the first time provided Malacanang approval is obtained. The idea is for enhanced representation. I am sure that
she will be willing to pay the difference if Malacanang approval will not be secured.
Just a friendly word of unsolicited advise. Try to avoid emotional and personal terms like “ignorant” and “apologist” when arguing your case because it gives the lie to your claim that you are factual and objective.
I really don’t give a hoot who you people are. What I look forward to is your take on the rest of the tapestry that you denounce.
Kaisipkaisa and Vero,
The Latin word for truth is “veritas” but this and the names we use are irrelevant because we are trying to get to the truth and essence of certain practices in the DFA, not the identities of the bloggers here. I feel that if a blogger says he is a DFA insider, the proof of the pudding would be his or her inputs which should show soon enough if the claim is true or not. In my opinion, both sides are insiders. So whether you are senior or junior officers is beside the point.
I think you have both made your positions on Mrs. Lopez clear enough although you should try to make your interventions more brief because we don’t have time to read your long essays with literary and mythological allusions.
I have been following the exchanges not only in this but other blogs as well – including those of the PCIJ and Uniffors. I would very much appreciate hearing from you people on other issues such as the selection process for Chiefs of Mission,the practicability of issuing orders to stop the payment of the salaries of overstaying ambassadors, the transfer of heads of post who get into trouble with the host government, the career ministers exam, the FSO exam, assignments and promotions, the concession of items to contractual employees,and the assignment of spouses to the same post,among others.
Yes, there are many things amiss in the DFA. I know it’s not unusual in any organization but what is frustrating in the DFA is that the SFA seems helpless (Uniffors used the word “clueless”) about it.
Vero:
On the more trivial points:
1. We never wrote the word “ignorant.” You did.
2. Your letter subjectively and objectively is that of an apologist.
3. We cast your Ms. Lopez at the same category with Ms. Falcon (Have not you been reading that well and did not catch our cynism about Ms. Falcon’s method)? We are for destroying the system of appointments, promotions, and assignments within the DFA that runs according to compadrazgo, accommodations, horse trading).
4. You wrote: Now between someone with an administrative case that was never resolved properly and one without such baggage, who should be chosen to head our consulate in Osaka? The one with the diploma from the UP College of Law, right?
Our reply: Wrong. The most qualified for the Post (including basiuc linguistic proficiency). The choice is not only between them. There are others, more qualified (than them). The DFA has a very wide pool of talents. Their names were the only ones that surfaced during the selection process because of their social and political connections.
5. Business class for “enhanced representation”? Tell this to our low-paid civil servants who are now reeling under the effects of the EVAT. Permissible but insensitive to the plight of majority of our people.
6. You do not have her diploma(s) because she does not have one.
7. If it is true that you have really researched her background, then show us what you have:
We already did. We have sent proofs to DFA and you have not seen them (or you are pretending you have not seen them). We have sent a sample to your Union, for starters.
Some of the papers that we have are just there, Mr. Vero. If you want, you can take a look at them yourself. Just go to the DFA’s administrative office. If you have time, you can also go to Quezon City and visit the registrar office of the schools she attended.
8. No, our members and our friends in the DFA are not anybody’s lackey (or apologist). What we want is for this system to end, not only in the DFA but in all other government agencies/offices (e.g., DA, BIR, DENR).
With all our respects,
KAWANI SA INTEGRIDAD AT PAGKAKAISA (KAISIP-KAISA)
November 15, 2005
Enforcer:
You wrote: Regarding hearing from you people on other issues such as the selection process for Chiefs of Mission,the practicability of issuing orders to stop the payment of the salaries of overstaying ambassadors, the transfer of heads of post who get into trouble with the host government, the career ministers exam, the FSO exam, assignments and promotions, the concession of items to contractual employees,and the assignment of spouses to the same post,among others.
Our reply: Our friends in the DFA told us that probably, the best way is to prepare two columns and compare “what is on paper” and “the operant realities.” This might take a while but we think that this is wortwhile since this brings the focus of the discussion above the distractions of illustrating examples out of known personalities in the DFA (and later, other government agencies).
Respectfully,
KAWANI SA INTEGRIDAD AT PAGKAKAISA (KAISIP-KAISA)
November 15, 2005
Para kina Mr. Vero at mga kaisip group,
Nakakalungkot pong malaman na ganyan ang nangyayari sa mga tinitingala namin officers sa loob ng departamento. Mabuti at may ganitong pagkakataon para naman makita ng mga rank and file kun anung klase ng namumuno meron tayo sa ating mga opisina. Sa aming mga nagbabalak kumuha ng eksamen dahil gusto ko/ namin na minsan ay maging opisyal din kami parang isang malaking pagkabigo na malaman na meron palang nakakalusot din sa ating mahigpit na pagpipili. Gusto po namin makita ang proof kun totoong si Ms. Lopez ay hindi nakatapos ng minimum requirement na College Graduate.
Mr. Vero kun sakali po bang makita ninyo ang sinasabing proof na ito. Magbabago ba ang inyong pananawa at gagawa po ba kayo ng hakbang upang umpisahan ang pagaayos ng systema dito sa ating departamento? kun di mo po ba kilala si Ms. Lopez at malaman mo lamang na tinago nya ang katotohanan na sya ay kulang sa kwalipikasyon ano po ba ang mararamdaman mo. sa dami ng isyu at problema ng ating departmento itong isyu ng kay Ms. Lopez kami nabahala sapagkat kami na may mga pangarap at adhikain ay papaano na. ang isang kaibigan ko na nag-aaral mabuti sa isang eskwelahan na kumukuha ng foreign service course ay paano na. sana gumawa din ng paraan ang kaisip na makarating sa mga kinauukulan na dapat mag desisyon nito at ma aksyunan na ang mga ganitong pangyayari. Bakit parang walang alam ang ating kagalanggalang na Secretary? o baka naman pati ang mga problem at isyung dapat aksyunan ay itinatago na din
DFAers,
Kung makita ko ang katibayan na si Mrs. Lopez ay talagang hindi college graduate,hindi ko na siya ipagtatanggol. Gumagawa na ako ng unang hakbang upang maayos ang sirang sistema natin sa Department sa pamamagitan ng mga discussions na ito ngunit lalong magiging effective tayo kung makakakuha tayo ng strategic na position sa home office.
Parang walang alam ang atin Secretary dahil ang umaabot na information sa kaniya ay ang gusto lamang niyang marinig. Ang problema ay ang cultura natin sa DFA na “tayo-tayo” at mutual protection association. Samakatuwid, tayo din ang may kasalanan ngunit ang namumuno ng Department ay may magagawa sana kung hindi lang siya alipin ng ating pangulo.
Siguro nga tinatago sa kaniya ang mga problema ng DFA kaya lang hindi naman puwedeng itago lahat iyan palagi dahil lalabas at lalabas din ang katarantaduhan natin. Hindi lamang sa mga blog kundi sa media na din. Sa loob ng DFA naman hindi tayo puwedeng maglokohan, di ba?
Kaisip, Vero and DFAers,
I like the Kaisip approach which is sistemic. I suggest that the examination of the balance sheet be started soonest, perhaps on a subject by subject basis and in the Uniffors site under the item on the open letter to Romulo. The focus should be on the DFA first before other agencies.
Vero’s defense of Mrs. Lopez was necessary because we should examine issues from different angles, including the side of the official being criticized. Vero seems to know more than what he lets on.
DFAers should be lauded for their concern for the plight of the rank and file. They have raised vital issues such as the role of ambassadors in choosing the personnel who are to man our posts abroad and the chances of widening the career prospects of FSSOs and FSSEs. These matters should be discussed at greater length.
Kaisip, Mr. Vero at Enforcer,
Kami ay nabuhayan ng pag-asa na binigyan nyo ng pansin na ilathala at bigyan ng komento ang isyu na sa tingin namin matagal ng nakatago sa baul ng departamento. Ngayun pa lang sinasaluduhan na namin kayo sa inyong pagpapahayag ng inyong opinyon. Naniniwala kami na marami pa rin sa ating mga opisyal ang karapatdapat na manungkulan at magsilbi sa kanilang mga opisina at isa na kayo sa mga ito. Naniniwala kami na kaya kayo andyan ay sa dahilan kayo ay masusing pinili at napatunayan na may sapat na kakayahan maisagawa ang mga tungkulin lalo na mga sensitibong tungkulin. naniniwala kami sa pagkakahiwalay ng mga opisyal at rank and file ngunit dapat lahat ay bigyan ng pantay na pagkakataon.
Mr. Vero, saludo po kami sa inyong pagpapahayag na di nyo susuportahan ang mali. Buong paniniwala namin na meron ngang “Blind Follower” ang isang Ms. Lopez.
Para kay Ms. Lopez, sana po sagutin ninyo ang mga isyu na ito sapagkat critikal ito para sa amin. naniniwala kaming nakakarating sa inyo ang mga isyu na ito. ganitong pangyayari ay may malaking epekto sa amin na tumitingala sa mga katulad ninyong nakatataas.
Sa Kaisip sana po ang inyong grupo ay bigyan kopya o ilatag na sa ating secretary ang problemang ito. gusto po naming makisama sa inyong adhikain.
Enforcer sa aming pananaw kayo ang tumitimbang sa diskusyon na ito at naniniwala kami me pag-asa sa inyo magsimula ang pag sisiwalat, paglalatag ng problema ng ating departmento at pagsasa ayos ng sistema nabubulok na kung sakaling mananatiling bingi o bulag ang ating kagalang galang na secretary.
Sa inyo po kun kailangan nyo kami ay makikisama po kami sa inyong akyon na gagawin. Huwag nyo pong pahintulot na hangga blog na lang lahat ng ito. Mataas ang aming paniniwala na me kakayahan kayo kesa sa aming nasa ibaba kayo ang aming boses dyan sa itaas sana huwag kaming mabigo.
salamat
dfaers
DFAers,
Salamat po sa inyong kompiansa.
Ang blog na ito ay umpisa po lamang. Ang plano namin ay ipaabot sa mga authorities natin sa DFA ang mga problemang ito. Hindi namin kayang kunin lahat ng information na kailangan dahil madaming tinatago sa atin lahat. Sana naman po’y tulungan ninyo kami.
Nabanggit na sa Uniffors blog na ang kamaganak ni Sec. Romulo na na-appoint na FSSO at na-assign kaagad ay isang Miss Cathy. Alam ba ninyo kung ano ang apilyido at kung saan naka-assign?
Madami tayong kasama na kamaganak ng mga ranking officials natin. Si Amb. Arizala pinasok ang kaniyang anak at nagkaroon kaagad ng item maski na ang bata ay may kaunting sira. Sina Amb. Primavera at Gaa may mga anak sa DFA. May mga item na ba ang mga batang ito? Mayroon pa ba kayong alam na ibang example?
Hindi po natin maaayos ang mga suliraning ito kaagad ngunit sa huli palagay ko hindi tayo mabibigo. Kung hindi aksyonan ng ating mga opisyal, lalabas at lalabas din lahat na iyan sa media at mas magiging maingat ang mga tao natin.
Maganda po sana kung mailipat natin ang discussion na ito sa Uniffors blog site dahil doon naka-tune in ang mga karamihan sa mga kasama natin.
Hindi lamang po nepotism ang dapat ninyong banggitin kung hindi din mga ibang bagay na bulok sa sistema natin.
Mabuhay po kayo!
DFAers,
Agree ako sa sinabi ni Enforcer. Ang gusto ko lamang idagdag ay kung mayroon mga administrative at finance officers sa inyo, isama na din sana ang mga anomalies na nangyayari sa inyong mga post tulad ng paggamit ng official vehicle sa ano-anong bagay, ang pagiibento ng out of town trip na official kuno, ang hindi paggagastos ng representation allowances para sa mga layunin na itinatag ng mga regulations natin. In other words, mga kaso na technical malversation.
Ang mahirap kasi sa ibang mga ambassador natin akala nila sarili nilang tindahan ang embassy at ang property ng pamahalaan, at kung ano-ano na lamang ang kanilang puwedeng gawin. Dapat piggilin ang kabulukan na iyan.
Kaisipkaisa says: “But public service is not about faith. That is why our government has checks and balances.”
-o-o-0-o-o-
On paper, our government has checks and balances. In practice, those whose balances were “checked” by the sitting president are lying on their backs. What has Kaisipkaisa done about this? Ka-iisip (thinking) and ka-dadada (talking) don’t seem to be working.
Atong
parang di ka masyadong nakakaintindi atong. sa palagay mo ba lalabas ang isyu na ito kundi dahil sa pagpapahayag ng mga kaisip. nabasa mo ba maigi ang palitan nila ng pahayag. di mo ba naiintindihan ang mga solusyon na ibinibigay ng kaisip, enforcer at vero? wala kang lugar sa blog na ito dahil wala ka namang makabuluhan sinasabi. ilabas mo muna sa isyung ito ang gobyerno masyado na silang marami at magulo doon. sila mismo di magkaintindihan. ang gusto namin unahin munang masolusyunan ang mga problema dito sa loob ng departamento. ikaw ang tumigil ng kadadada.
Vero, tama po kayo maraming anomalies na nangyayari di lamang dito sa atin kundi lalo na sa post. silang mga andun ang nagpapasasa. may mga rank and file na kun magsi kilos ay daig pa ang mga officers at may mga officers na walang ginawa kundi maglamyerda. sana magkaroon ang post natin ng “weekly/monthly accomplishment report” ng bawat empleyado para naman makita dito sa home office kun nagsisipag trabaho nga ang mga inatasan na magsilbi sa labas ng bansa. malalaman dito kun meron o walang pagkaka tugma tugma ang kanilang report.
pati mga ambassadors, congen at officers isama na din.kaya tinotolerate ng mga ambassadors, congen mga ganitong katiwalian paano sila din ay ganun. sa dami nilang magkaka-kulay palagay ko mauubos ang tao sa post natin.
Teka, asan na ba ang ating Admin? ano na ba ang ginagawa ng mga nakaupo sa Board. Palagay namin walang kakayahan ang nakaupo sa Admin dahil duwag yang si Ebdalin makaharap ang mga taong ating inerereklamo. Bakit Kaya?
Sana po gumawa na tayo ng checklist natin kun anu-ano ang mga isyu dapat aksyunan na para malaman natin kun me progreso ba ang pagpapahayg natin ng problemang ito.
Pero sana po unahin na natin itong ke Ms. Lopez. kasi lahat po kami lagi iyon ang iniintay kun me aaksyun na. May isa na po sa amin ang humihingi ng kopya ng kanyang record sa kanyang eskwelahan.
Ms. Tordesillas request po lamang namin i-forward nyo itong diskusyon namin sa uniffors blog site. para mas makita ng nakararami.
salamat po.
Naka-link po ang Uniffors dito. Bakit ho hindi rin ninyo ilagay doon and inyong comments?
Lahat ho na tao ay may lugar sa blog na ito, basta huwag lang bastusan.
Tama si Ellen, dapat ilagay ang comments sa Uniffors site. Siguro puwedeng i-summarize ni Enforcer at i-post sa Uniffors blog.
Barumbado ng kaunti ang comment ni Atong but I think he has a point: the discussions on reform within the Department should go beyond the talk shop stage. Atong may not belong to the DFA but he has a right to give his opinion. We will benefit from second, third and other opinions.
When we move to the Uniffors blog, I think we should watch our language. We are supposed to be diplomats so maybe we should cut down on personal attacks such as “duwag na Ebdalin” and stick to the reasons why we think that Usec. Ebadlin has not been courageous in some decisions he has made.
I can’t help but note a certain antipathy towards Mr. Ebdalin on the part of someone in the Kaisip ranks. Could it be because some of his decisions have not having been to his or her liking?
There is a need to get to the bottom of the allegation against Mrs. Lopez. But we have to be careful because we have already opened a can of worms. Details of the actuations of other officials will also have to be examined.
The partial checklist is already available. All that has to be done is go through the issues discussed in this site as well as those of Uniffors and the PCIJ.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
So that’s settled. Atong is welcome to post his opinions because no single blogger or group of bloggers have a proprietary right over the site. And DFAers should moderate their language.
I will prepare a list of the more important issues that should be tackled in the Uniffors site. Give me two or three days.
DFAers,
Walang pong pikonan. Ang naiintindihan ko lang ay, ayon na rin sa inyo, masalimuot ang palakad ng DFA. Kung hindi kayo puro dada at puro palakasan lang ng hangin sa pagdi-discuss, bakit nangyayari at lumalala ang mga ganitong katarantaduhan sa inyong “dear” DFA? Nagtatanong lang po. Sa isang demokrasya po kasi, hindi bawal ang magtanong. Dapat siguro ay dagdagan ang number of units sa subject na “Diplomacy” sa eskwelahan ng Foreign Service. Yon po kasing tawagin ninyong “duwag” ang inyong superior ay hindi yata pumapatak sa diplomatic behavior. Tsaka, dapat din sigurong maging “required” instead of “elective” ang subject na Good Behavior And Right Conduct (GBARC). Kahit po Grade Three lang ang inabot ko, at wala sa subjects namin ang GBARC, naituro po sa amin yon ng aming mga magulang.
Gumagalang po ako sa inyo,
Atong
Atong:
1. You wrote: What has Kaisipkaisa done about this? Ka-iisip (thinking) and ka-dadada (talking) don’t seem to be working.
Our reply: what made you think that we have only limited our work on “kadadada”? Why do we have to account to you the things that we are doing (some of which might have given ex Ombudsman Marcelo headaches)?
On a more even keel, we hope that you have proof regarding your assertion that: “our government has checks and balances. In practice, those whose balances were ‘checked’ by the sitting president are lying on their backs.” Substantiating this type of assertion is what exactly Kaisip-Kaisa does–across the different government agencies. If you are a government official or a common employee in an agency Atong, who is tired of this pattern, give us your e-mail and we will contact you.
Vero:
You wrote: I can’t help but note a certain antipathy towards Mr. Ebdalin on the part of someone in the Kaisip ranks. Could it be because some of his decisions have not having been to his or her liking?
Our reply: Both Atong and DFAers have their respective points and “interesting way” of presenting their respective points.
We just noticed that much as we tried to steer the discussion away from personality-centrism towards a systemic one, it seems that you are weighed down by the thought that our colleagues in the Department have a personal motive. Hindi naman lahat ng gusto ng pagbabago e laging may kinikimkim na makasariling obhektibo. Pagod at galit na lang talaga kami dito sa paulit ulit na pambababoy na nangyayari sa ating serbisyo sibil. But if you find the “personal take” perspective and approach comfortable, we take no offense.
Furether, maybe you can answer your question yourself. How effective has been Undersecretary Ebdalin as Usec for Admin in the DFA? What are (were) the measures that he has undertaken/initiated to address the systemic weaknesses in the DFA’s promotions, assignment, and appointments? What are (were) the measures that he has undertaken/initiated to strengthen the administrative management of the country’s foreign service?
We fully agree with you that the “details of the actuations of other officials will also have to be examined,” but make that ALL officials (non exclusive). This is necessary to end the “weather-weather” management of our country’s foreign service.
Springing from your points, maybe the DFA can examine how to empower their finance officers and administrative officers at posts who, because of their rank, are usually no match for the authority, power, and pressure that higher-ranked officials can apply to them.
Enforcer:
Our colleagues in the DFA are doing the table (on paper vs. actual).
Ah, yes about Ms. Cathy, the records we have on the subject is that she is not a relative of Sec. Romulo (though this is not to say that Sec. Romulo does not have a relative in the DFA). Her full name is Ms. Catherine Villar-Macapagal. She is a relative of Sen. Villar (and her husband is reportedly related to the Macapagal’s). Her appointment to the DFA was (again) based on good connections and accommodations. Please contact the DFA Rank and File Association for the details. As to where she is posted, the Association also knows (hint: you can look into the direction of the US).
Now that you brought up the matter of “Romulo’s relative”, I understand she has a daughter in the Philippine embassy in Washington D.C. hired locally during Guingona’s time.
Kaisip,
There is a gap between what you claim about steering the discussion away from personalities and what you have been doing since day 1 which has been focusing on the alleged lack of Mrs. Lopez’s academic qualifications. Now you have added Mr. Ebdalin to your list of obsessions.
Mr. Ebdalin may not have been able to do a perfect job due to the political and peer pressures that he has been subjected to, not to mention that lack of real authority, but during his watch a serious effort has been made to establish transparency in the system of assignments. A list of vacancies is circulated and personnel bid for such openings. Sure, there are still complaints but that cannot be helped in a situation where numerous applicants are chasing a limited number of choice slots.
He has also played the role of de facto inspector general and, despite severe limitations, has had limited success. He has visited several embassies abroad where there have been complaints about the management of some posts and has taken appropriate action of such complaints. The position of inspector general is a full time job in other foreign services so his performance as such should be taken in this context.
I know of a specific case when he practically forced an ambassador assigned to a very important EU member country to move to appropriate quarters after that envoy had moved from one small flat to another appaprently to save on housing.
That was not the only time he was obliged to intervene in the that ambassador’s performance of official duties. But that should be left for a subsequent post.
On the table being prepared by your friends in the DFA, they are welcome to do theirs. We should do our own matrix and discuss the issues in the Uniffors blog based on the posts in this blog and those of the PCIJ and Uniffors. As Enforcer said we need not reinvent the wheel.
Vero,
I am not preparing a matrix. The problems of the DFA cannot be reduced to graphs and charts. I am listing and defining issues that have been discussed in various blogs. These issues will hopefully clarify part of the system that needs to be reformed and serve as a basis, not THE foundation, for a plan of action.
But as you said, the Kaisip partners within the DFA are perfectly free to draft their table if that’s what they will be more comfortable with. They can do their thing. We will do ours. Maybe the two approaches can meet at some point.
In the meantime, it would be useful also to receive posts that give us a general perspective of the system. For example, you might wish to expand on your idea of an inspector general. Just try not to expand too much because of time and space constraints.
Enforcer,
This will be a bit long but I promise it will be worth your while.
In the late 70s, the chairman of the presidential reorganization commission, Mr. Armand Fabella, said at an FSI lecture that the DFA was the most difficult, almost impossible, agency to reorganize. He had left out the DFA as the last entity in his list because it was giving him “nightmares.” He decided to see President Marcos to ask him if he really wanted to reorganize the DFA and the Apo looked at him without saying anything and just simply scratching his head. Fabella took the gesture to mean “well, not really.”
That is the difficult task that people face when they speak of reforming the Department. But any endeavor to do so should begin with the DFA’s mission statement which should be the protection and promotion of national security, economic and cultural interests ( including its image ) as well as those of overseas Filipinos. If you visit the DFA website, practically all you read is about how this embassy assisted such and such national, or how that consulate arranged for the repatriation of the remains of so-and-so. These are consular matters. Not foreign policy. We should remember that a Foreign Service is not primarily in the business of sending home the cadavers of Filipinos who die abroad. It is time we stopped “consularizing” our foreign policy for domestic political purposes.
The Foreign Service merely reflects the state of the nation which is in a mess at present because of questions of legitimacy of the administration and a serious failure of leadership. But this situation will not last forever. The DFA should be a little different from the other agencies because of the exposure of our personnel to other efficient and functional systems.
No fulltime managers.
It other words, the problems of the Department to a large degree are rooted in administrative and personnel issues. If you look at the people who have become foreign secretaries, you will that not one was a fulltime and dedicated manager. Probably the ones who came closest to being managers were Secretary Siazon and Secretary Roberto Romulo. The former was one because of his instincts and experience, for he knew the system in and out and he could identify who were the non-performers and who were those who could be depended upon. RRR for his part brought the DFA into the computer age. It is unfortunate that the two did not stay in office long enough to devote more time and effort to the management aspect of their job. Since we remember, not a single head of the Office of Personnel and Administrative Services or OPAS has been a professional manager.
Personnel.
The essential components of efficient management are personnel, equipment and funding, and auditing. Personnel: the right persons should be selected, properly trained in accordance with the needs of the Service and their specific skills and potential, and assigned to positions and places where their skills and training will be maximized. They must be counseled and their career development monitored. People should be programmed for badly needed specializations such as Arab studies, EU affairs, China, Japan. Except for Chinese and Japanese studies, the DFA has neglected other specializations.
The FSO exam system should be reviewed and revamped. The oral part should be strengthened and made stricter while the psychological testing should be taken more seriously. Pëople should not be appointed as FSOs until they finish their cadetships. In other words, vetting for a longer period. Same holds true for lower ranks, except that the screening should not be as rigid. The FSI should be given more teeth and should have a say in the choice and deployment of personnel. FSSOs should be given a chance to become FSOs through qualifying exams. Yes, there are legal impediments to these proposals but a review of the Foreign Service Act could remedy this problem.
The BFSA should take its work more seriously and suspend or remove from the Service the non-perofrmers and those who have been proven to engage in corrupt practices. There should be a system of lateral attrition like in the State Department and foreign services of developed countries.
Don’t laugh, but I think there should be a resident shrink in the Department. We have too many crazies running lose at home and abroad.
Equipment and funding.
In terms of equipment and funding, a thorough review of the allocation of our resources should be undertaken for the purpose of increasing expenditures on capital outlay and operations. It is ridiculous to allocate something like 90% to salaries and allowances and only 10% to capital expenditures and operations ( I am not sure about the exact proportion but I think I am not way off the mark. ) This would probably entail the closure of some posts and regional offices but it would be better to have a lean and mean organization than a flabby and inefficient one. Although we cannot possibly equal the Singaporean system, I think the island republic could serve as a model for us.
Inspector general.
The third aspect that has to be worked on is auditing, not only in a financial sense but also in terms of management and discipline of personnel. We should have an inspector general, possibly appointed from outside, whose task is to keep the entire Department honest and disciplined. His office will take charge of seeing how our resources are being spent and how our personnel are being managed and disicplined. Periodic visit to foreign service posts shoulld be undertaken to make sure that propertioes and equipment are properly used and maintained as well as personnel, including head of post, properly behave and fulfill their duties according to prescibed standards.
It is pathetic to see how embassy cars are used by spouses to go marketing or bring the children to school, how private out of town trips are passed off as official missions, how representations expenses are considered by many envoys as a supplement to their salaries, resulting in the foregoing of Independence Day receptions or non-entertainment by our diplomatic personnel, or how a consul general is not punished administratively for accepting an appointment to be an administrator of the estate of a Filipino in her jurisdiction.
The old foggies may think that it is impossible to reform the system but the next generation, or at least a part of it, feel that the system can be changed provided that those who seek to introduce some reforms are numerous and forceful enough, not to mention lucky enough to successfully work their way to strategic posts, as Vero implied in a post to the DFAers.
I apologize for the length of this post but the nature of the issues involved did not allow me to shorten it.
Danny,
No need to apologize. Yours was an excellent summary of the Department’s management problems. SGV would be proud to have someone like you.
In SGV, top executives do not take home the company service car and park it there every day of the week. Neither do they bring to their residence company property like refrigerators. If they are assigned abroad, they use their housing allowance for the purpose it is given. They use their representation allowances for entertaining. They do not engage in conversion: making private trips appear as if they were official ones. They do not exploit their employees and use them as tour guides and drivers during the weekend.
Atong,
masyado ka naman umaray agad sa salitang “duwag” kailangan bang laging kinokorek ang mga salita sa pagpapahayag. ang minsang pagpapahayag ng madiin na salita ay di nangangahulugan ng walang “good behavior and right conduct”. sino ba ang sinabihan ng “barumbado” ni Mr. Vero. anu po ba ang tamang salita nararapat. kaya siguro wala ding nangyayari sa mga problemang nakaharap sa atin dito puro pag-iingat, puro diplomasya. Ayan paalis na pala si Ms. Lopez. tsk..tsk..
Kaisip, Vero and Enforce, kayo po ang mas nakakaalam ng masalimuot na nangyayari dyan sa itaas. Sinisubaybayan namin ang inyong mga aksyon at sana may isa man lang isyu kayong maresolba. Sa palagay namin di na epektibo ang pag gamit ng diplomasya sa mga may katiwalian sa atin masyado na nilang nilalaro ang “diplomasya”. Drastikong pag aksyon maaring sagot. pag-isipan po ninyo ito dahil sa sobrang dami nilang nakalulusot sa sistema at sa mga may kapangyarihan mag desisyon.
Hangga ngayun mataas ang aming pananalig na na sa inyong tatlo may mangyayari solusyon at resulta.
Mga katulad sa amin na nag-aasam na maging opisyal din ay muling nakakita ng unting liwanag sa inyo. Wag po kayong titigil. sana sa madaling panahon makilala din namin kayo.Kami po ay susubaybay at kung ano pong tulong ang kailangan ninyo sa amin kami po ay handa at handa din humarap.
salamat po!
Thanks for a rational, informative presentation, Danny. It was worth our while. I agree with you that Roberto Romulo and Domingo Siazon as secretary of foreign affairs were high points in the DFA’s history, in terms of professionalizing the department.
That’s why I’m so annoyed with that Flor Contemplacion episode. That, by the way, was one of the lowest points of media.
Danny, re:”Don’t laugh, but I think there should be a resident shrink in the Department. We have too many crazies running lose at home and abroad.”
I’ve met a number of them.
Ellen,
Thanks. I failed to mention that the DFA should also have professional guidance counselors. Working abroad under difficult conditions, problems of reentry after a foreign assignment, career frustrations, etc. require this. Good counseling could prevent the emergence of nut cases.
Just take a closer look at the posts in this and other blogs sites. Some are very revealing in terms of the organization and consistency of thoughts and feelings expressed. Not to mention the rage directed at certain events and personalities.
DFAers,
Lahat po tayo marunong magsalita ng Tagalog at alam natin na malaki ang diperensiya ng “barumbado ng kaunti ang comment…” at “duwag na X.” Ang ikalawa ay nagde-describe ng katauhan ni X. Personal at insulto. Kaya dahan-dahan lang po tayo dahil kung hindi baka gamitin ng moderator ang kaniyang editorial prerogative. Kahiya-hiya naman po kung umabot ng ganiyan, di ba?
Vero:
You wrote: There is a gap between what you claim about steering the discussion away from personalities and what you have been doing since day 1 which has been focusing on the alleged lack of Mrs. Lopez’s academic qualifications. Now you have added Mr. Ebdalin to your list of obsessions.
Our reply: What obsession are you talking about? All we wrote are just questions and those are just in reply to YOUR attribution to our organization that we feel antipathy towards Usec. Ebdalin. To quote what you wrote:
“I can’t help but note a certain antipathy towards Mr. Ebdalin on the part of someone in the Kaisip ranks. Could it be because some of his decisions have not having been to his or her liking?”
On this subject, we just asked:
“How effective has been Undersecretary Ebdalin as Usec for Admin in the DFA? What are (were) the measures that he has undertaken/initiated to address the systemic weaknesses in the DFA’s promotions, assignment, and appointments? What are (were) the measures that he has undertaken/initiated to strengthen the administrative management of the country’s foreign service?”
Are these questions sign of obsession?
Kaisip,
Refer to Danny’s post and his reference to the “rage directed at certain events and personalities.” Rage is fine provided it is moderated and justified, conditions that are difficult to meet.
Enforcer:
You wrote (quoting Danny’s post): Rage is fine provided it is moderated and justified, conditions that are difficult to meet.
Our reply: What has Kaisaip-Kaisa written thus far, that is not justified? WE HAVE NOT SAID ANYTHING about Mr. Ebdalin (though Mr. Vero inflected it came from us) yet, when we picked up on the subject and asked several questions regarding Mr. Ebdalin, we are accused of being “obsessed.”
As to the case of Ms. Lopez, DFA insiders as Mr. Vero can verify the points that were stated. From there, (he) one can trace the pattern of accommodation, “inter-connectivities,” lack of delicadeza, and horse-trading (internal and external)—along with the different personalities.
As to the rage and frustrations, we deem that internal “alienation” can be one of the causes. A “clueless” Secretary (SECFORAF) within the said pattern is a lethal combination. This is the same story that is repeated all across different government agencies (including the Department of National Defense).
To all other civil servants out there: give us your lead and we will sift through it. Write us: kaisipkaisa05@yahoo.com.
Kaisip,
Ok, Mr. Ebdalin is not yet an obsession for you but simply a pressing concern. But Mrs. Lopez is. I simply refer you to Danny’s posts where he mentions the need for shrinks and professional guidance counselors in the DFA. Choose your wild.
Enforcer:
We gather that Danny’s proposal (for a shrink) has been proposed before. Just find out who vetoed the proposal as we might be accused again of “obsession” and smearing the name of certain people. Anyway, your tack suggests the beginning of an unhealthy, pointless exchanges.
Ms. Tordesillas and this blog’s moderator, our thanks for your views and patience. The same goes to all the others who aired their views from Danny to Atong.
As we continue to believe that there are “strategic” cases in each agency/office in government from where all crooked information and schemes can be drawn, we renew our call for all civil servants out there (who are tired of measures and procedures that de-professionalizes the service) to please contact us at kaisipkaisa05@yahoo.com.
Thanks. Is Malacañang included in your crusade? You should start with Gloria Arroyo, ang pekeng pangulo.
Ms. Tordesillas:
OP is on top of our organization’s list. Its reputation as the biggest snake pit is an understatement. It is fortunate that there is also a core group of young idealists-reformers in Malacanang who are also tired and angry about the systemic “pambababoy” (sorry, we cannot find a more appropriate word in English that captures the flavor of this word) of civil servants who are working in that office.
Muli po, maraming salamat!
Kaisip,
I think you may have missed Ellen’s point. What is the stand of your organization on the continued stay in office of the manager of the snake pit?
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