What’s in a Smile?

Inherent in the art of diplomacy is the infinite capacity to keep smiling even when one is working hardest–to win friends for one’s country, that is.

Philippine Ambassador to Chilé Ma. Consuelo Puyat-Reyes acquired that ability early in life, having lived, as a young girl, with her grandfather who was then ambassador to Argentina. There, Ma. Consuelo helped her mother, Patria Gil Puyat as hostess, and in Doña Patria’s absence, even assuming the role of hostess herself.

Inevitably, diplomatic life became routinary for the family–receptions, dinners, vino de honor cocktails, the round of calls on ambassadors and high-ranking government officials–these became almost daily affairs. Consequently, having gotten used to them, Ma. Consuelo, now as our ambassador to Chilé, has very nearly mastered the ability to smile through the most demanding duties attendant to an envoy’s life. Being unto the manor born, she is doing what comes naturally, so to speak.

As she goes about promoting her country–one of her first projects was a highly successful exhibition of Philippine furniture and decorative household items–she continues to earn the esteem and admiration of her peers. Further, she gains their immense goodwill through the Spanish lessons she gives pro bono (as the lawyers here would say) to the wives of Asian envoys in Chilé. The reason? Mrs. Puyat-Reyes is the only Asian there who speaks Spanish!

With Chilé belonging to the Latin-American bloc, Mrs. Puyat-Reyes is generously sharing her knowledge of Spanish–and surely smiling through the maze of complex conjugations and subjunctives–while winning fellow Orientals to her side.

Indeed, she has become the most persuasive argument for the study of Spanish, this having become the second most widely spoken language in the world. In fact, for economic and other reasons, the Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Thais, etc. are rapidly acquiring proficiency in the language. You might assume correctly that one of Mrs. Puyat-Reyes’s strongest supporter in the campaign would be GMA herself!

At any rate, owing to the envoy’s popularity among the diplomats and their wives, they unanimously chose her to learn the "cueca", Chilé’s national folk dance, so she could duly represent them in the performance during their visit to the winery "Concha y Toro" to which no less than Foreign Affairs Secretary Soledad Alvear had invited them.

Needless to say, Mrs. Puyat-Reyes smiled as she danced (see photos) while recalling her days in St. Paul’s College where she was in just about every music-and-dance presentation.

Recently, the vivacious envoy hosted a sit-down dinner for 80 guests at the embassy residence to welcome the newly-arrived Apostolic Nuncio Aldo Cavalli, who is also dean of the diplomatic corps, and his assistant, Monsignor Santo Gangemi.

Earlier, at the annual New Year’s diplomatic reception of Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and First Lady, Doña Luisa Duran de Lagos, the Philippine envoy quickly asserted, through her conversation, that her country is still very much regarded as a member of the Latin-American sphere. Without exerting any effort, the effusive ambassador must have charmed the portly President Lagos not only with her impeccable Spanish but, more particularly, with her spontaneous smile.