DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
10/1/2012
Watching Malacañang and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) pronouncements on relations with China it is clear there is a huge divergence between the two. The Palace statements are conciliatory as reflected in headlines by the media, such as "Palace: Mar Roxas' talks with China's Xi Jinping 'constructive, cordial,' or 'Palace hopes RP-China ties will move forward'" and many other projecting positive tones and rosy prospects. The DFA is projecting a different outlook on the relations, such as the statement emanating from Secretary Albert del Rosario a few days after his reported threat to resign and speaking in Washington to the CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) which was headlined in the Philippine newspapers with an ominous "Philippines will respond to China ships" and threatening to send RP ships back to the shoals.
Del Rosario's visible deviation from Malacañang on the country's attitude to China may mean a few things, all of them bad for the administration and the country: first, Malacañang doesn't really have an official line with regard to relations and the issues with China; second, Malacañang is not coordinating its various branches of government relative to a most critical foreign policy question; third, the DFA secretary has gone "rogue" and is going on his own with regard to China related policy positions; fourth, the DFA secretary is taking instructions from other than the official chain-of-command leading to the president; and the worse, the DFA secretary is following the chain-of-command from across the seas in Washington and disregarding Malacañang completely. Is Del Rosario an Amboy?
Del Rosario qualifies for the title of Amboy due to the alleged "green card" status that the DFA ranks insists he maintains, plus the fact that there has been strong speculation about the Malacañang doubts about him. Retired diplomat Ambassasor Rey Arcilla's writes in his columns in Malaya, such as Sept. 24 in the aftermath of Tillanes' exposé of Del Rosario's alleged conspiracy with Manny Pangilinan, "'If Del Rosario is wondering why it was only spokesman Lacierda who said Noynoy still has confidence in him, I think it is Noynoy's way of giving him an opportunity to exit gracefully by resigning… He is dense. He does not know the meaning of loss of confidence or delicadeza or amor propio."'
Amboy means American Boy, and in political terms it means more than just loving things American but one who does the bidding of the US. One historical example of the Amboy is former Philippine diplomatic icon, the late Carlos P. Romulo who is venerated as the little man who walked up the shores of Leyte Gulf with Gen. Douglas Macarthur fulfilling his vow "I shall return." One of Romulo's progenies followed in his footsteps to become the DFA secretary, Roberto (Bobby) Romulo who keenly supported the assignment of Sonia Brady to China recently despite her ill health and very advanced age. Some say Brady was supported heartily by Amboys for the post to China as she herself is very pliant to the US. Just a last week Romulo commented on whom he believes should not be assigned to China to replace Sonia Brady.
In his newspaper column "Diplomacy 101" Bobby Romulo wrote last week, "I have received reports that a prominent member of the local Filipino-Chinese community as well as a long time Filipino refugee or exile in China are being considered to replace Ambassador Brady… I was shocked that the two are candidates for the most sensitive and important post in our Foreign Service … A member of the Filipino-Chinese community… does not fit the bill because of ethnic ties … these work against the detachment and objectivity (needed) … Neither does a political exile who has spent something like the last 40 or his to odd years in this world in China pass all the test of objectivity. That candidate has been fed, sheltered and cared for by the Chinese for four decades during which he must have accumulated a long list of IOU's …"
The present US ambassador to China, Gary Locke's is ethnic Chinese whose forebears hale from Taishan, China. Ethnicity doesn't bother the non-discriminatory Americans. But what about Brady who, if my DFA source is correct, is married to an American; couldn't that becloud her loyalty? Obviously referring to ex-exile Chito Sta. Romana, Romulo must understand that patriotism and idealism that led to Sta. Romana's exile. He led a student delegation to China when Martial Law was imposed in Manila Sept. 21, 1972. He was advised to stay put there to escape arrest while the Romulo clan enjoyed the privileged life in the US backed Martial Rule life in the Philippines. True patriots, like Sen. Antonio Trillanes or Chito Sta. Romana, are helping the country breakaway from mendicancy to the US to chart a free, independent and peaceful course of the Philippines with Asia.
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