Time to demand better visa treatment for Filipinos

(Conclusion)

Moving on, there are several Latin American countries which enjoy visa-free entry to the Philippines, yet do not reciprocate with the same courtesy. Not only that, but in some cases their visa processing seems to be administered sadistically, the apparent intent being to make the Filipino beg and beg and beg before getting the visa.

My nephew recently had to go to a certain Latin country, which will not be identified except that it has fjords, faces the Pacific, and has a name which recalls spicy cooking. He applied exactly three months before his intended departure (the country doesn’t entertain any earlier application), and was repeatedly tortured with red tape and arrogant, demeaning demands and behavior by the Filipino employees at the consulate. This young man has current US and past Schengen, UK, and other visas, and an ample bank balance.

The harassment was seemingly on instructions of the diplomatic officials from that country. Though his papers were complete, he was asked again and again for the same documents. He wound up going to the consulate almost fifteen times, and was on two occasions shouted at by the Filipino clerks. He was finally given a visa just 8 hours before his flight! This was after enduring three months of what can only be considered as deliberately offensive, malicious treatment. It’s a shame, because most people from this country are perfectly okay persons. But just one or two petty tyrants can cause a lot of misery, while losing admirers for their country.

So for now, if you are thinking of going to a Latin American country which has fjords and faces the Pacific, and whose name reminds you of spicy cooking, my nephew suggests you abandon this idea and instead go to Norway (where he went some years ago on his honeymoon, after getting his visa in a single visit).

Now, it may seem that the Philippines has little bargaining strength with Schengen countries or odd countries around the world with nasty diplomats. But this belief is untrue. You just have to know where the vulnerability lies.

For diplomats from almost every country on earth, Manila is a plum posting, much sought after for many reasons. Life in Makati for foreigners is great, with lots of dining and entertainment, household servants, and superior social status. International schools abound, and the country-club life is readily at hand. Out-of-pocket expenses are few, so allowances can be saved for their old age. Filipinos are friendly and basically compete with each other to cater to and cuddle up with foreigners. As a result, diplomats feel like kings and frequently ask for their tours of duty in Manila to be extended.

So, Mr. President and Mr. Foreign Secretary, here’s a suggestion: maintain a website for Filipinos to file complaints against foreign consulates and their personnel whether foreign or Filipino. Require complainants (who could be not just visa applicants but also those with social or professional dealings) to document their allegations of rude or plainly abusive behavior.

Once there were three proven strikes against an embassy/consulate, declare ALL of the foreigners and ALL of the Filipino staff personae non gratae (undesirable people in our official opinion). Order the foreigners to leave and the Filipinos to be fired. Only wipe the slate if and when the whole embassy and consulate, from Ambassador down to janitor, has been replaced. This is to make all of them jointly responsible for treating Filipinos with courtesy. No passing the buck and the Ambassadors claiming visas are not their responsibility. Those individual people will effectively have been expelled from Paradise, which will serve as a warning to their successors to treat Filipinos better. Meanwhile, their nationals in the Philippines will have no consular services, which will quickly raise a stink back in their home country.

(They could of course threaten to retaliate by expelling our diplomats, but we have so few embassies and consulates, and so many overseas Filipinos, that this is not a practical or credible risk.)

This strategy won’t work when major policy issues are involved, such as seems to be the recent case with the US. But it will work against random diplomats who are just personally nasty, and who train their Filipino staff to look down on their countrymen.

Instead of empty curses and threats to impress the ignorant, we should have an articulated policy as just described, demanding better visa treatment for Filipinos and putting teeth behind that demand. This might result in genuine benefit for the tens of millions of Filipinos who travel or work abroad, and more respect for our country in general. Pretty soon, we would have more visa-free countries available to us, and start seeing faster turnarounds and higher “Granted” rates for most visa applications.