Balatbat appointed Philippine envoy to Saudi Arabia

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has appointed career diplomat Raymond Balatbat as the new Philippine ambassador to Saudi Arabia, an official of the House of Representatives said.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, a member of the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA), yesterday noted that Balatbat will hold the new post in concurrence with his jurisdiction over the Republic of Yemen.

The diplomat was nominated last June 3 and his papers were received by the CA on June 5.

“The new posting or place of assignment of an ambassador, as well as the rank promotion of senior foreign service officers, are both subject to CA confirmation,” Pimentel said in a statement.

Balatbat is the current Philippine ambassador to Lebanon and one-time executive director of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of Middle East and African Affairs.

He entered the foreign service in 1997 and previously held key roles in several Philippine diplomatic missions abroad.

At present, the Philippine embassy in Riyadh is headed by Chargé d’Affaires Rommel Romato.

Pimentel said Saudi Arabia is the Philippines’ third-largest source of cash transfers from overseas Filipino workers, after the United States and Singapore, citing data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Some P117 billion or $2.1 billion in cash remittance was sent by over 700,000 Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia through the banking system in 2023.

This does not include the dollars sent home via non-bank money transfer channels or physically brought home by returning Filipino workers.

Pimentel added that the CA has also received the appointment papers of Commodore Francisco Tagamolila Jr., who is being promoted to the rank of rear admiral.

Tagamolila is the new head of Naval Forces Western Mindanao based in Zamboanga City.

Pimentel has urged the public to submit to the CA secretariat any information or complaints against appointees pending confirmation.

Under the Constitution, the 25-member CA is empowered to vet the competence, fitness and integrity of key presidential appointees and to approve or reject them.

The CA is composed of 12 members each from the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the Senate President as ex-officio presiding officer.