GMA’s gambit: She says she’s going to the UN in September

La Presidenta sent a signal yesterday that she is confident she’ll be securely at the helm of state come this September. Press Secretary Ignacio "Toting" Bunye, who joined us at the Manila Overseas Press Club’s "Diplomatic Night" dinner Monday at the Makati Shangri-la, has announced that GMA will be going to the United Nations in New York in September.

As Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo reminded his audience of Ambassadors, Cabinet members, journalists and other MOPC guests, the Philippines is scheduled to take over the Chairmanship of the UN Security Council. It is also a possibility, if Myanmar (Burma) doesn’t assume its "calendared" Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines – whose alphabetical turn comes next – is ready to assume the Chairmanship of ASEAN.

It’s clear by now that GMA isn’t going to be bulldozed into resigning, come hell or high water. It’s evident there will be an "impeachment" process in Congress to establish whether the President has done something . . . impeachable. (And for which the legislature can vote her out of office in the manner stipulated by the Constitution). The Palace has agreed to the establishment of a Truth Commission to investigate the May 2004 elections and the electoral canvass – which means I suppose, that such a Truth Commission can insist on recounting every ballot.

I hear that the Catholic Bishops are willing to participate in the Commission but not "chair" it.

All these are steps obviously intended to put a cap on the current turmoil and controversy over the allegations of vote-rigging, suspicions of Commission on Elections interference, and "Hello Garci" ringtones.

In sum, while preparing to deliver her State of the Nation Address (SONA) next Monday, the embattled Chief Executive is moving to consolidate her position – and recover from the nasty attack on her credibility launched by the seven Cabinet members who had noisily abandoned ship on July 8, not only condemning her but demanding that she make the "supreme sacrifice" of resigning and giving way to her "successor", Vice-President Noli de Castro.

Since the defectors were led by her key economic Cabineteer, ex-Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima (who, only a short time earlier had been hymning the glories of the Gloria administration), and included ex-Trade and Industry Secretary Johnny Santos (a longtime Chairman of Nestlé), the Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner himself Willy Parayno, the Customs Commissioner Bert Lina, a longtime FedEx head only recently appointed to that post – not to mention Education Secretary Butch Abad and DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman (who would tint her hair with streak of blue, or occasionally, red) – it was imperative for GMA to replace the mutineers with a new Economic Team of equal if not superior reputation and caliber.

These she found in Land Bank President and CEO, Margarito "Gary" Teves, 61 who had brought the country’s fourth-largest lending institution a record profit of P2.25 billion last year. Gary had served three terms in the House of Representatives from 1987, in which he headed the House economic affairs committee. He had also played a role, during the FVR presidency, in reorganizing the Central Bank.

Next, GMA got Peter B. Favila for Trade and Industry, bringing into her Cabinet his 30 years of experience in management and finance. Before becoming Chairman of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), Favila had been President of the Philippine National Bank, President of the Allied Bank, President of the Security Bank, Director of Jardine Fleming Exchange, Senior Vice-President of Metro Bank, and a specialist in Investment Management for Citibank, N.A.

For Budget, the President got the respected Romulo Neri.

To take Parayno’s place, she promoted the Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Jose Mario "Joho" Buñag, a veteran BIR official who smoothly stepped without a hitch or break in stride into the role of Top Taxman. Buñag vowed to collect taxes and go after tax evaders with the same relentless energy.

We introduced the new "Team" to the Diplomatic Corps gathered to listen to DFA Secretary Bert Romulo’s slambang speech in the packed Rizal ballroom. Their remarks were well-received, particularly the businesslike manner in which Teves and Favila explained how they hoped to redress the damage done by their predecessors’ defection and disaffection, and remind the world that the Philippines was open for "business" and had the Welcome Mat out for investment.

Frankly, the most impressive "short" speech was that delivered by the new Customs Commissioner, Alexander "Balong" Arevalo. Like the military man he once was, he barked out the details of his "mission" to stop smuggling and enforce Customs rules and regulations.

Arevalo holds the Presidential Legion of Honor and the Military Gold Cross and Bronze Cross Medals. No stranger to Customs, he was Deputy Commissioner of the Management Information System and Technology Group for over four years. Prior to that he had served as Presidential Assistant for E-Commerce and Information Technology to the President. As Executive Assistant to President Fidel V. Ramos, then Joseph Estrada for seven years, Arevalo had introduced the use of barcodes and hologram stickers on Presidential documents and the use of "leading-edge satellite," telecommunications, computer and digital technologies.

In his other "life" before the Palace, he had worked as Administrative Officer and Senior Aide-de-Camp to the Secretary of Defense. His last military assignment had been as Deputy and Executive Officer of the 800-man Philippine Constabulary "Special Action Force" (SAF), with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

He also served internationally as Chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the 10-nation ASEAN Single Window aiming to provide a model for "single submission, single processing and single decision-making" for the release of imports and exports.

Balong Arevalo earned a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, where his courses included Public Sector Finance, Internet Commerce and Modelling, the United Nations, Informal Sector Economy and Country Assessments. He also received a Masters in Business Management (MBM) from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Manila. When he graduated from the Philippine Military Academy, Class 1982, his bachelor’s degree was won cum laude.

Not bad for a new Team, don’t you think?

The journalists, diplomats and businessmen who were in the overflow audience at the Diplomatic Night affair last Monday were gratified by the eloquent address delivered by Bert Romulo, who outlined the country’s "Foreign Policy as an instrument of stability, growth and progress" (his speech's title).

During the subsequent open forum, Romulo – with disarming candor and wit – reassured his listeners that La Presidenta had won reelection "fair and square" and that she was in no danger of being derailed or ousted. We hope to publish his speech in a later issue.

What the guests, including diplomats, told us later is that they wanted another crack at getting to know the new "Economic Team" better and be able to put their own questions to them at another Forum.

Well here’s the good news. We’ve arrange another MOPC Forum, this time on that subject. Next FRIDAY,

July 22, we will hold an MOPC Special Business Luncheon Forum at the Skytop on the top floor of the Inter-Continental Hotel in Makati. The affair at 12 noon will feature the "economic managers", Finance Secretary Teves; Trade and Industry Secretary Favila; Customs Commissioner Arevalo and BIR Commissioner Buñag. They will be able on their own hook this time to explain their initiatives and answer queries from businessmen, diplomats, journalists and other interested members of our community. (For inquiries and ticket reservations, you can call Ms. Dena of the MOPC Secretariat at tel. nos. 523-1156 or 523-1289).

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There was so much interest, by the way, in what Bert Romulo would say that so many people braved the heavy rain to come to the Makati Shangri-la last Monday evening that we had to add tables to accommodate everyone.

During the open forum, DFA Secretary Romulo confirmed that former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, who had been named by GMA and confirmed (by Congress) to be our next Ambassador to Beijing had "resigned" even before assuming his post. Bert said that he had recommended to the President that the next appointee should be a career diplomat. In the meantime, I forgot to ask him, will our Ambassador Willy Gaa remain in situ?

China’s urbane Ambassador Wu Hongbo, who was in the audience, hasn’t received a word either who the "next" envoy might be. I believe that Tito Guingona’s resignation and reverse thrust had been totally unexpected. Oh well. Dear Tito had played Hamlet during our school days in the Ateneo, and his favorite line in that Shakespearean play was "To be, or not to be." This time he had decided "not to be."

Another item of interest brought out during the open forum was that the "incoming" US Ambassador, still not formally nominated, might be a woman. Bert said he was not at liberty to confirm or deny the gender of the prospective envoy. He tactfully asserted that he had been assured in Washington DC that President George W. Bush wanted to send a "very good" Ambassador to Manila.

If you will recall, Bert had been informed months ago that the US Ambassador to South Africa, Cameron Hume, would be nominated to replace Ambassador Frank Ricciardone who, if we’re not mistaken, will be going to Cairo, Egypt – a logical post since Frank speaks excellent Arabic, and is an expert on Middle Eastern and Turkish affairs.

Suddenly, however, even before he could be announced, Cameron Hume was withdrawn. The buzz is that the new Ambassador instead will be a woman, the US Ambassador to Ecuador, Ms. Kristie Anne Kenney.

We’re expected, of course, to put the best face on this new choice – and how can anyone object to Kenney except some bigoted male chauvinist, et cetera? That’s the hoot-call which will greet any male critic. But it strikes me – forgive me for the furtive thought – that the Philippines has been downgraded.

Hume was a member of the Senior Foreign Service, a senior adviser to the US Mission to the United Nations in New York, and a law graduate of American University in Washington DC. He had held many critical overseas assignments and was known to be an expert in conflict resolution.

Kenney, for all her talents, is reportedly the "personal choice" of US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice who has just snubbed the Philippines in the arrangement of her latest Asian tour. Rice, whom I noticed didn’t cotton to our La Gloria during her state visit to the White House two years ago (I saw it with my own two cross-eyes), is even more down on La Glo for having abandoned the US and the "coalition of the willing" in Iraq and withdrawn the tiny Philippine contingent in her anxiety to save OFW Angelo de la Cruz from being "beheaded" by his Islamic terrorist captors. Didn’t Condi tell Bush when this happened: "See"? We told you so" or words to that effect.

True, Ambassador Kenney was an Executive Secretary of the State Department, heading a staff of 185 persons involved in inter-agency policy coordination and crisis management under former State Secretaries Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright, and led the transition team from the Bill Clinton to George W. Bush Administration, so I may do her an injustice. She is also reputed to speak fluent Spanish and French, which will go over big with La Presidenta and Bert Romulo, both of whom are equally fluent in Kastila.

Oh well. Let’s see what develops.

Right now, our domestic battles take precedence over foreign policy. Who was it who said it? The best foreign policy is a strong domestic policy.