I’m trying hard to understand why reason seem to have left the Aquino government in the case of the Filipinos who are in China’s death row for drug trafficking.
Aquino sent Vice President Jejomar Binay to Beijing last week to appeal to the leadership to spare the lives of Ramon Credo, 42, Sally Villanueva, 32, and Elizabeth Batain, 38, who were scheduled to be executed by lethal injection today.
The three were sentenced to death for smuggling 4 kilograms to 6.8 kilograms of heroin to in 2008. They were originally five but diplomatic sources said further investigations showed that the two had minor roles in the drug syndicate than the three.
The removal of Alberto Romulo as foreign secretary (to be replaced by former Ambassador to the U.S. Albert del Rosario), the first cabinet change in the nine-month old Aquino administration, is supposed to signal long-delayed reforms in the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is dampened, however, by reports that Romulo would be named the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
President Aquino is not confirming Romulo’s UN assignment. All he said was, “Bert Romulo is not a stranger to me. So, he still has contributions that he can make. It’s always the details that tie us up.”
The UN job is one of the positions being floated to be Romulo’s “golden parachute”, a term used in the corporate world of a clause in an executive’s contract specifying that he would be receiving large benefits in the event that employment is terminated or the company is sold.
There is no such thing as a golden parachute for government officials but they are entitled to the usual retirement benefits.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Romulo has cleared his office at the Department of Foreign Affairs, a source said. A Malacanang source said former Ambassador to the…
CAIRO — Hosni Mubarak has resigned as president of Egypt, the country’s vice president said in a brief statement Friday.
Omar Suleiman, speaking on state television, said Mubarak had decided to hand power to the military.
“In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic,” a grim-looking Suleiman said. “He has mandated the Armed Forces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor.”
The news swept the country and Tahrir Square, home of the protest movement, erupted in celebration.
Signs of beginning of the end. This was the scene that preceded the fall of Mohamad Reza Pahlavi,Shah of Iran, Doc Duvalier of Haiti, Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand. In the case of Marcos, he and the family all left together.
Mubarak and wife SuzanneThe wife of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and their son Gamal, considered the successor to his father as president, have fled to London with 97 suitcases after unprecedented massive protests in Egypt, an Arab website reported. Egyptian officials denied the claim.Anger in the streets.Photo from http://www.ahmedrehab.com/
The plane also reportedly carried Gamal’s daughter, the Akhbar Arab website reported. It also said a Twitter account was blocked to prevent a social network campaign to urge the ousting of Mubarak, who is over 80 and is reportedly is suffering from cancer.
Dozens of Twitter messages have been sent saying that Mubarak’s wife Suzanne was identified at Heathrow Airport in London, where she and her son and granddaughter arrived in a private jet.
In Egypt, calm has returned to the streets but authorities have arrested hundreds of protesters. Three people – two of them demonstrators — were killed in Tuesday’s rallies that spread throughout the country.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Frantic exodus from Egypt (culled from several news reports)
CAIRO — Cairo’s international airport was a scene of chaos and confusion Monday as thousands of foreigners sought to flee the unrest in Egypt and countries around the world scrambled to send in planes to fly their citizens out.
Albert del RosarioReports that former ambassador to the United Sates Albert del Rosario has agreed to be foreign secretary had raised the hopes of Foreign Service officers for reforms in the department that has been running without direction under Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.Alberto Romulo
But their hopes were dashed as quickly as they were raised because it has been confirmed that Romulo succeeded in convincing President Aquino again to let him stay until April this year.
Our sources at the DFA and Malacañang said the suspended departure of Romulo has created awkward situations as demonstrated by a scene at the recent vin d’ honneur in Malacañang. Members of the diplomatic community were all greeting del Rosario because it’s known in the community that he was assuming the position anytime that week.
Cabinet members have been told to coordinate with del Rosario on matters concerning foreign relations.
That was the same instruction given to Presidential Adviser for Peace Process Ging Deles.Those who are lobbying to be appointed or re-appointed ambassadors have also been told “to go see Albert.”
Severino signing his book. Tress Reyes of Nikkei Shimbun and Charmaine Deogracias of NHK TV wait for their turn.I have yet to meet a reporter who has covered the diplomatic beat seriously who is not in awe of former Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rodolfo Severino.
Severino unselfishly shares his vast knowledge about foreign relations in an engaging way that makes what is generally regarded as an esoteric and intimidating topic easily understandable.This enviable skill of his is again evident in his latest book, “Where in the world is the Philippines?”
The book, published by the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore is about the ambiguity of the country’s territorial boundaries which he said has far reaching effects on people’s lives and communities.
The ambiguity is ironic because, he said, the Philippines is the only country that defines its national territory in its Constitution.
This is what earned Romulo the retention to the foreign secretary post.By now, after six months in Malacañang, we have to say that there is so much more that President Aquino will have to do to earn our admiration as the country’s chief executive.
We don’t expect him to master all issues but it is important that he knows how to choose people to help him run the country. He should have an eye for , to borrow a phrase from what American journalist David Halberstam , the best and the brightest.
The late President Marcos was gifted with such talent even as he himself was brilliant. There were executives who were not intellectually heavyweights but were honest enough to admit their inadequacies and did the smart thing of hiring the “best and the brightest.” The one that comes to mind is former Ambassador to the US Benjamin Romualdez who tapped the brains and skill of the bright boys in the Department of Foreign Affairs namely Pacifico Castro,Rodolfo Severino and others.
President Aquino and his Malacanang team are weak in the area of foreign affairs. And the worrisome thing about this is, they don’t seem to realize it. They do not know that they do not know about foreign affairs.
By Roberto R. Romulo
Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs
The better RomuloPresident Benigno S. Aquino III begins his seventh month in office on January 1 with his approval ratings comfortably high and broad public support for the major initiatives of his administration. It adds a hopeful note for the New Year that this support – as well as from foreign governments and international business – could be major factors in the success of the President’s major initiatives – particularly those relating to revving up the economy, turning around the culture of corruption, forging greater security and peace across the entire archipelago.
None of this should becloud perceptions of the administration’s shortcomings during the last six months – for these have been also all too real and palpable.
There has been considerable sobering in what was once a triumphalist posture of the administration. After a succession of setbacks – notably in the hostage-taking crisis in August last year, the defeat of his signature executive order creating a Truth Commission, and the chorus of criticism of the administration’s legal acumen and the poor quality of paper work pouring out of Malacanang — the administration speaks more softly now. There is now a clearer appreciation of limits to power, and hopefully more willingness to acknowledge mistakes when they are made.
