Hail Teodoro, farewell ‘Teddy Boy’

If you go to the DFA webpage, you will find an elegant photo of the new Secretary immediately after the President.  It is labelled Teodoro L.  Locsin Jr.  Of course, I was being facetious when I made reference to this in an earlier column and I have restrained myself from having a go at “Jr”.

In formal settings, he will be Teodoro, but among those who know him, he will still be Teddy Boy. And I will not be surprised if the President introduces him in formal functions by his nickname to the bemusement of foreign dignitaries.

Politics will always be a fact of life in any Cabinet position and the foreign secretary is no exception. I am happy to share my experience for whatever it is worth. First off, despite being in charge of the Cabinet with the smallest budget and personnel, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs is the first among equals in the Cabinet, based on the order of precedence. This is a fact that is unknown to many and one that often rankles more senior Cabinet members, and specially senators who find themselves below the pecking order particularly when traveling with the President.

There is very little scope for corruption in DFA to benefit politicos, so political interference manifests itself in appointments, promotions and assignments of their “batas”. I have gotten quite a few in my time. One was so controversial I had to stand up to my President and told him not to do it. I got a scolding, but he eventually did not go through with the appointment. Another time, one fellow was asked why he wanted to be appointed to a South Asian country and he replied because that’s where his ranking member of Congress padrino wanted him to go. I even had a senior congressional official who called regarding the promotion of his protégé. I said, “but compadre, he is incompetent” and he responded “that’s precisely why I am calling you.”  I never promoted him and my compadre never held it against me. There was even an attempt to bribe me with $5,000 cash in the hope that I would appoint an honorary consul in the Middle East.  He also gave a beautiful watch (worth more than $5k) to my chief of staff who dutifully returned it. The attempted bribe was offensive, but the expensive watch was the ultimate insult.

The law does allow political appointees to be appointed by the President provided it is less than 50 percent of the total number of ambassadors. Many of them were totally unqualified, but many also were exemplary. Now it is only human to find resentment among the career staff who attained their promotion by passing the rigid foreign service exam and working their way through the ranks. They acquire a sense of entitlement which intensifies as they rise through the ranks gaining smarts and experience along the way. They disdain non-career people.

I myself was a political appointee when I was made ambassador to the European Communities, Belgium and Luxembourg.  My appointment papers took forever to get to the Commission on Appointments. No one briefed me on what to prepare for the commission. I went to Brussels for a “looksee” at my own expense. Once on board, I had to fend for myself with little or no guidance from DFA Manila.  But in due time, I found my career staff to be professional and dedicated to their work and they assisted and guided me. I refer to Toto Zaide, Libran Cabactulan and Mary Jo Aragon-Bernardo. My commercial attache took the stance that she worked for DTI, not DFA and was, therefore, independent of the ambassador. In due time, we came to a meeting of minds and Cristina Ortega became my strongest supporter, even though I was never able cow her into total submission.  Later, she became ambassador to Australia and France, a distinguished and worthy representative of our country. But despite my reputed abrasive management style, they all survived.  They all became ambassadors to Austria, Germany, France, UAE, Thailand and the United Nations (permanent representative).  The career staff must continue to be nourished and protected from the political whims of those in power!

When I assumed office as secretary, my old friend and mentor Raul Manglapus called a general meeting to introduce me to DFA personnel.  After that, I was left on my own.  I decided not to bring anyone new to be my personal assistant (same as in Brussels).  I was fortunate because Tessie Marzan, who worked for my father was ready to step in as my chief of staff. As the new secretary, I was regularly shown by staff letters of commendation given by my father. Clearly, they were determined to seek favor because my father complimented them. Personally, I was gratified how they held my father in great esteem.  But from my personal perspective, I would judge them on their performance on the job in the days to follow.  Frankly, many found that hard to accept. In time, the capable and the committed people will surface as will those who are not. 

In contrast with private companies where good performance is rewarded with monetary and other benefits, one cannot do the same in a government office. Seniority still trumps everything in DFA. I disagreed with that practice.  To me, “performance sells” and should be rewarded even though that individual is not the most senior. But they do get satisfaction for recognizing their performance and that can be demonstrated by entrusting them with critical assignments rather than relying on so-called expert counsel from outside. 

The new secretary already enjoys a reputation for fairness, a disdain for politics over reason, and having the gravitas to speak credibly for the country before the world on critical issues. I have no doubt that the career staff will warm to him quickly and earn their loyalty and support in no time.

But watch out, like this columnist, he has a colorful vocabulary equal to any sailor.