RP envoy to Romania moved to Kenya

A senior official of the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the DFA is considering reassigning Ambassador to Romania Noel Cabrera to Nairobi, Kenya for his next posting after he was unceremoniously yanked from his post.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the DFA plans to assign Cabrera to Nairobi when he is replaced by incoming Ambassador to Romania Ruth Prado.

"We have plans for (Cabrera)," the official said. "We want to assign him to a post where he could be more useful and where he could utilize his talents."

An appointment as ambassador to Kenya, the official said, is an important diplomatic posting, since Kenya is a United Nations capital where there are many important environmental projects. A diplomatic post in Kenya also covers many African countries.

The Commission on Appointments (CA) recently confirmed Prado’s appointment as the new ambassador to Romania, with concurrent jurisdiction over Bulgaria and Moldova.

The official said the DFA did not "abandon" Cabrera by not formally informing him that a new ambassador would replace him because the DFA only planned to transfer him to another post.

"The fact that the papers went through the process, President Arroyo was put on notice," the official said, indicating the importance of Cabrera’s transfer.

Meantime, Foreign Affairs spokesman Gilberto Asuque said Prado’s appointment was a "highly transparent" process because it passed through the CA, which conducted a public hearing on her appointment.

"The appointment of the new ambassador to Romania is a highly transparent process," Asuque said. "The CA conducted a public hearing and the confirmation was made at a plenary session of the Commission so it is expected the public has notice of Ambassador Prado’s appointment."

He also said ambassadors "serve at the pleasure of the President, who is the chief architect of foreign policy."

"The incumbent ambassador (Cabrera) has constructive notice because the CA publishes the names and nominations for their hearing. There is constructive notice to all," he added.

The CA, he said, reviews the academic qualifications and Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SALs) of candidates whose nominations are reviewed by the commission.

Asuque said no advance party was sent to Romania while Cabrera was in Manila for a kidney operation, though it is the job of the embassy staff to prepare the recall of the ambassador and to arrange for the arrival of an incoming envoy.

"I can’t reconcile the information about the advance party in the light of established procedures to ensure the smooth transition," he said.