FILIPINO nationalists were up in arms this week after Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr.’s resignation as secretary of foreign affairs was leaked to the press prematurely by Press Secretary Silvestre Afable. Guingona denied it and a red-faced Malacanang Palace had to admit it was a mix-up. But the damage was already done, and with the cat out of the bag, it was only a matter of 48 hours before Guingona’s resignation was officially announced.

Critics and supporters of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo were quick to complain that Guingona didn’t deserve such shabby treatment, and at first I myself thought so, too. But upon further reflection, it seemed quite clear that the honeymoon between the president and her veep had long gone sour over the presence of US troops in the Philippines. True, Guingona is a real nationalist, and a legend as a fighter for freedom, having been imprisoned twice during the Marcos dictatorship. But although these credentials propelled him to be picked as GMA’s vice president after EDSA II, these achievements were not enough when the president had to choose between US troops remaining in the Philippines and Guingona.

It had been clear for several months now that Guingona was on his way out as foreign secretary, the rumors flying fast and wild in Manila. I believe that it was his stubborn insistence to hang on to the position that led President Arroyo to resorting to the unseemly tactic of leaking his resignation letter to the press. This must have been the only way she had left to give him the final shove. I’m not saying that the president’s method was decent, but I do think it was the right thing to do for the nation’s security and future.

US troops have been instrumental in helping the Philippine military hunt down and eliminate the Abu Sayyaf gang in Mindanao. The Americans have been training Filipino soldiers in the latest warfare techniques, sharing intelligence and providing the Philippine military with much needed new equipment. All of this without being permanently based in the country. This is a key proviso that nationalists have long insisted on ever since the Philippine Senate closed down the US bases at Clark and Subic in 1992. To be sure, Arroyo has made an extremely creative interpretation of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Philippines, allowing US troops to be in the country for nearly six months at a time during the Balikatan joint military exercises.

Nationalists have been barking for months that Arroyo has sold the country out to the Americans, demanding the immediate withdrawal of US troops. But I think the president has been pragmatic enough to realize that the Philippines needs the US military to hunt down local groups such as the Abu Sayyaf, to help modernize the AFP and protect the country from such regional bullies such as China.

Arroyo will be safe as long as no US bases are re-established in the country. I think the US government realizes this too, and has decided to maintain close military ties with key allies around the globe without necessarily basing US troops in those countries.

Guingona had long away become a liability to Arroyo’s foreign policy of allowing US troops limited access to the Philippines. He really had to go. It wasn’t a matter of how, it was a matter of how soon?

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DFA doesn’t need fancy diplomats

THE ROLE of present day diplomats has changed since the Cold War days. Then they were expected to spy on enemies, gather information and sometimes spread disinformation. Today their role has shifted to a less ideologically charged arena: that of promoting trade and exports.

Since the largest export of the Philippines is manpower, in the form of OFWs, it would seem most logical that the main task of DFA diplomats would be to look after the welfare of Filipinos working abroad, and trying to promote their interests. Unfortunately, some Filipino diplomats seem to think that being a diplomat means attending swanky cocktail parties, buying luxury cars and occasionally sending reports home to Manila. To be sure, diplomats of other countries also suffer from the same disease that I like to call “diplomatisis.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs has suffered from an image problem, that of being an elitist institution. Although the department seems to have succeeded in hiring Muslim Filipinos, who are usually deployed to Philippine missions in Muslim countries, it still is lacking when it comes to fighting for the rights of OFWs.

Which brings me to President Arroyo’s alleged choice to head the DFA: Sen. Blas Ople. At well over 70, Ople is no spring chicken and probably should have retired from politics years ago. I don’t think he would be a good choice for a position that requires much foreign travel by definition. As a Lakas congressman told the Philippine Daily Inquirer this week: “How can we have a dynamic and vibrant foreign policy if we have an old and sickly secretary?”

Arroyo, of course, is in a bind as she faces an opposition-dominated Senate when Congress reopens on July 22. Insiders say she’s offering the DFA post to Ople to appease the opposition and to have a working relationship with the opposition so that legislation can continue to be passed. We will all have to wait and see what happens.

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Fun run for a good cause

THE UNITED Bicolonos-KSA group is holding a Mini Fun Run in the Eastern Province next month to raise money for the National Calamity Disaster Assistance Fund in the Philippines.

The run will take place on Friday, Aug. 2, on the Alkhobar Corniche, from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. The assembly point is behind the McDonald’s on the Corniche.

The event is open to all Filipinos, including non-Bicolanos. Registration is ongoing. For more information call Abe Regalado on Tel. 054-839258, George Palencia on Tel. 053-373053 or Caloy Calinog on Tel. 056-834731.

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Comments or questions? Email the author at: manilamoods@hotmail.com.

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Visit the author’s website at http://www.manilamoods.com to read past columns.