UK ambassador bids farewell

Ambassador Peter Beckingham of the United Kingdom leaves today for London after four and a half years as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s ambassador to the Philippines. Diplomatic leave-takings are inevitable, and we have seen our share through the years of ambassadors who have been really a good friend to our people and our country. What makes Mr. Beckingham’s departure of more than routine interest was the special stamp he put on his posting here and the sense of “connectedness” with the country that he, his wife Jill and the embassy forged during his mission.

In the hierarchy of importance, our relationship with the UK has not been of the same order as our ties with the US, China, Japan and ASEAN – particularly in terms of magnitudes in trade and investments. The historical bond is slight, even though in 1762 Great Britain actually invaded the archipelago and occupied it for over two years. After that, the only major historical link, so far as I can recall, was by way of our dispute with Malaysia over the Philippine claim to Sabah. During that time, the British government vigorously backed Malaysia against our claim and pressured the US not to help us. The strongest links have been cultural – principally the English language, Shakespeare, the Beatles, and hundreds of great writers, actors and music makers who have given us much delight and pleasure.

Of late, however, our British connection has been growing on several fronts, and credit for this belongs to both governments, and the ambassador in Manila.

 Since 2005 to this year, the UK has been one of the top three direct and portfolio investors in the Philippines. In 2008, it was the largest foreign investor. It is no coincidence that within the last few months the heads of three of Britain’s largest companies, Barclays, GlaxoSmithKline and HSBC, have all visited Manila and talked about significant new investments, in addition to their already substantial businesses. British investors include Shell, Logica, Balfour Beatty, Anglo American and WS Atkins. Business-related visits to Manila include those by the CEOs/directors of Anglo American, Halcrow, British Gas, the Lord Mayor of London, and Prince Andrew as UK special representative for trade. In sum, we have an economic relationship that has grown significantly in this century.

On the political side, the two countries have exchanged top level visits, discussing bilateral relations and common concerns at global level. President Arroyo has made three visits to London, including a call on Queen Elizabeth. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Manila last March, and the UK foreign office ministers visited in 2007 and 2008. This has borne fruit in terms of more British funding assistance for economic governance, crisis management in AFP and PNP, and Muslim Mindanao projects.

There is an ongoing UK effort to help the peace effort in Mindanao. An MILF delegation made a visit to Northern Ireland this year, and the security adviser of PM Gordon Brown, a former IRA leader, and Tony Blair’s chief of staff have visited Manila to stimulate the peace process.

Relations at people-to-people level have also grown. The UK is now the largest source of European visitors to the country, with over 70,000 a year. There are a quarter of a million Filipinos living and working in UK. And significantly, and not well known, the local British community has grown to over 10,000, many of whom have opted to retire here.

Evidently, as a sign that UK attaches high importance to British-Philippine relations, the British embassy commissioned new offices, which opened in 2006.

The fact that all these developments have taken place under Mr. Beckingham’s embassy reflects well on his mission and his leadership. He has been a very active ambassador. And he reminds me of Theodore Roosevelt’s classic admonition: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

It is obvious from the record that the good ambassador has, as they say, pushed the envelope to move our bilateral relations up a notch, that he has touched base not only with governments but with the private sectors of our two countries, and that he has helped in getting our two governments to move closer together on common concerns like climate change and good governance.

And that significantly is not all. In addition, Peter and Jill have been criss-crossing our archipelago from north to south. He has visited some 60 of our 78 provinces, including Sulu and Basilan. He has swum with whale sharks in Donsol, climbed Mt. Pinatubo, snorkeled in El Nido, visited the Ifugao rice terraces, and bathed in the waters of Boracay.

I would be remiss if I did not cite the laudable efforts of Jill who was actively engaged in assisting the less fortunate. She was a member of CRIBS whose main mission is to take care of abandoned babies and abused children. Equally noteworthy is her efforts to support a soon to be established school for some 400 Smokey Mountain children. In fact, she will return in January for its inauguration.

The sum of it all, says Mr. Beckingham in a report published in the Inquirer, is: “We have few if any differences of opinion, and share far more in common than many of our citizens realize, with the largest number of OFWs in Europe living in the UK, the biggest flows of European investment coming from Britain, and a range of shared strategic interests.

“It is difficult to imagine a country more welcoming to a foreign diplomat than the Philippines… The welcome extends at all levels of society…In addition to your natural warmth, you are blessed with some of the most stunning natural wonders, from the rice terraces to the limestone cliffs of El Nido. Expect many more visitors from Britain to seek out these last paradises on earth as word gets out. I will be beating the drum for the Philippines, and will be among those returning to your wonderful country.”

Having served in foreign capitals myself, I can vouch that when your initiatives make a difference in the work of nations and you make a happy connection with your place of assignment, this for a diplomat is the height of fulfillment.

Mr. Beckingham is that kind of diplomat. I was impressed by his ability to distinguish between the need for gravitas and the attractions of popularity. He was Her Majesty’s true and loyal servant, but he was also a good friend to our people and our country. We will miss him and Jill very much.