'Next US envoy to RP may be political appointee'

WASHINGTON – The next US ambassador to the Philippines may be a political appointee instead of a career diplomat, The Washington Times reported.

Historically 30 percent of ambassadorial jobs go to political appointees while 70 percent go to career diplomats but even if the White House upholds this ratio, traditional career posts in countries including the Philippines and Peru might be taken away from the Foreign Service, the Times said quoting unnamed State Department sources.

It did not indicate who is being considered for the Manila posting but quoted the sources as saying that Harry K. Thomas Jr. who until recently was director-general of the Foreign Service, is no longer in the running.

Thomas was supposed to go to Manila this summer but that no longer appears the case, it added.

Although the 30-70 ratio is not official, all administrations have adhered fairly closely to it in the last several decades, Steven Kashkett, acting president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the diplomats’ union, told the Times.

“Thirty percent is not a comfortable number. We feel very strongly about the importance of appointing primarily professional diplomats as ambassadors,” he said.

The US has 175 ambassadorial posts. According to the latest list that the AFSA keeps on its Web site and updates every two weeks about 63 percent of the posts are occupied by career diplomats who have been either confirmed, nominated, announced or rumored for the posts, 26 percent are occupied by political appointees and 11 percent are vacant.