Last words to last

While we were in London, career foreign service officer Evan Garcia officially presented his credentials in formal rites held at the Buckingham Palace as the new Philippine ambassador to the Court of St. James. He was accorded the traditional ceremony for newly installed foreign ambassadors with the usual pomp and pageantry given by the honor guards of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth at the Palace grounds. President Rodrigo Duterte named Garcia after the end of tour of duty of former Philippine ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Enrique Manalo.

On the other hand, British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad found himself a few days ago at the center of controversy here in Manila. As the designated official representative here in our country of the UK government, the ambassador’s rendition of what perhaps he thought was innocuous report on global aid poured to the Philippines – intended for thousands of victims of super typhoon Yolanda in 2013 – opened up old wounds, so to speak.

Last October 9, Amb. Ahmad posted on his personal

 Twitter account a list of foreign aid donors to the Philippines, with UK on top having donated a total of $122.7 million worth of aids for the victims of the deadly storm “Haiyan.” More than three years after the killer typhoon “Yolanda” (with international name “Haiyan”) wrought devastation in Samar, Leyte, Cebu and other Visayas provinces, Ahmad posted in his Twitter account: “The world came to help the Philippines.”

Ahmad’s comments on his social media account came at the heels of President Duterte’s public perorations against the United States and the European Union (EU) for calling attention to alleged extra judicial killings of suspects related to his administration’s all out war against illegal drugs. Reacting to threats of aid cuts over such alleged human rights violations, an irate President Duterte told the US and EU he would not be cowed by foreign dictates and neither Filipinos would be shamed by “meddling” foreign interlopers here in our country.

“If you think it is high time for you guys to withdraw your assistance (to the Philippines) go ahead. We will not beg for it,” President Duterte riposted. Asserting anew his “independent” foreign policy, President Duterte echoed boldly his confidence our country “will survive” even without aids. That was a wish perhaps, if I may add.

The presidential outburst on the US and the EU criticisms on these human rights issues against the Duterte administration obviously elicited the British ambassador’s gentle reminder to the Filipinos in general.

“This is information, a window to the world. People with issues need a mirror. UK aid was delivered directly to Filipinos in need,” Ahmad subsequently explained what he posted. But wasn’t it UK exited last June from its membership at the EU, now called for short as Brexit?

It was not clear though what triggered the British ambassador to issue such “unsolicited” reminder to Filipinos.

Albay Congressman Joey Salceda, however, was not satisfied with Ahmad’s explanation. Taking up the cudgels for the Duterte administration, Salceda lambasted the British ambassador. In his own official statement, Salceda computed UK’s aid was equivalent to 14.2 percent of total aid financial and in-kind donations given to “Haiyan” relief assistance for victims.

“As a former co-chair of the UNFCCC’s (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ) Green Climate Fund, I am appalled by the entitledness to gratitude being implied by the British Ambassador on account of the P35.6 billion given by foreign governments for Yolanda,” Salceda fumed.

“No sir, this is not aid. This is compensation for loss-and-damage. This is not charity but climate justice,” Salceda stressed.

Also active on his own social media accounts, Salceda noted the P35.6 billion worth of foreign aids during “Yolanda” paled in comparison to his estimated P550.5 billion worth in cumulative and actual losses and damages” suffered by Filipinos to natural and man-made calamities. Salceda bewailed most of these calamities were largely due to the direct effects of climate change from global warming out of large quantities of carbon produced from 1990-2015 by highly developed countries like the US and UK.

Secondly, Salceda pointed out these “Yolanda” foreign aids were based on the own costing done by these donors and implemented by themselves. “And to my best estimate, 40% were paid to their highly-paid expat consultants and coordinators, or their choice of contractors and sub-contractors,” Salceda cited. “They hardly involved transfer of cash except for some $98 million donated by private individuals and organizations,” he cited.

Salceda knows what he is talking about and we are fully aware where he is coming from. After his nine years in Congress, he subsequently served for three consecutive terms as Governor of Albay. He is back to being lawmaker as representative of the 17th Congress for the newly created second district of Albay. Internationally recognized for his disaster risk reduction management, Salceda always remains alert for any signs of danger to evacuate and take people early out of harm’s way as in the latest typhoon “Lawin,” or “Haima” that is currently battering Bicol and other parts of the country.

Albay and the rest of the Bicol region where the province is situated in the so-called typhoon belt in the Philippines and are therefore frequented by disaster calamities each year. Albay is also home for Mt.Mayon. Although Mayon is the most popular tourist attraction in the province, it is likewise known as one of the most active and destructive volcanoes in the world. When “Yolanda” struck, then Governor Salceda was among the first local government executives who came to the rescue and succor of their neighbor provinces.  

In an ABS-CBN interview last Monday, the British envoy sounded more conciliatory to the Duterte administration, if not more diplomatic this time. Ahmad had this advisory to potential investors: “Do not be distracted by the political noise in the Philippines. Underneath is an economy that will move forward.”

In his regular contribution to the opinion page of The STAR that was published last Tuesday, Ahmad wrote about how he had “morphed “ himself from private sector and followed his father’s footstep to the UK diplomatic service from whom he learned the tricks of the profession. “The language of diplomacy has its own code. Protocol has its place when an occasion requires state ceremony or disguises significant underlying discontent,” Ahmad wrote.

“Those who manage the transformation well are people who have good self awareness, know their limitations and are willing to learn from their successes and mistakes. In our ever changing world where the challenges are at times daunting, diplomatic metamorphosis is essential,” the British envoy cited.

Incidentally, Ahmad’s fellow member of the diplomatic corps here, US ambassador Philip Goldberg – who also had a run in with the Duterte administration – was given a farewell party to mark the end of his tour of duty here in the Philippines. We have heard their piece of mind as they speak their last words to us but these will last a lifetime of memories once these foreign diplomats leave behind the Philippines.