What we don’t need is an ‘imperial ambassador’

Congratulations to our friend, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto "Bobi" Tiglao on his marriage to a beautiful bride, Getsemane "Getsy" Selirio. The couple, we understand, left yesterday for the University of Kyoto where Bobi will teach as a Professorial Fellow for three to six months.

But all those smiling photographs of President Macapagal-Arroyo and the Tiglao newlyweds don’t get GMA off the hook. A Cabinet official with such weighty twin jobs doesn’t suddenly take leave of absence (just a week after being appointed Press Secretary) or decamp to go on his "honeymoon". It’s still being speculated, for all the damage control being attempted, that Tiglao was stabbed in the back and was very unhappy over the situation obtaining in the Palace Press Office.

Now, in untimely fashion, GMA yesterday announced that her personal PR man and publicist, Dante Ang, who’s concurrently publisher of a daily newspaper, The Manila Times, which he had taken over from now Manila Congressman Mark Jimenez (whose extradition is still being demanded by the United States), will be her "one peso a year" presidential senior consultant on public relations.

Aha! Everybody is chortling. The finger of suspicion in L’Affaire Tiglao is now pointed directly at Dante Ang – not to be confused, at the moment, with Erap’s Atong Ang.

It’s never been a secret that Dante Ang has been running the Malacañang Press Office from the very beginning to the consternation of former Press Secretary Noel Cabrera – who waited until he was "confirmed" by the Commission on Appointments, then abruptly quit, too. Why doesn’t La Gloria simply designate Dante Ang as her Grand Vizier, Resident Wizard or Minister of Propaganda, and Head Beautician, too, and have done with it? That would be true transparency. Bring Dante out of the shadows, and show everyone that he’s the one calling the shots.

Finally, since the President has made it official by designating Mr. Ang as a "one peso" public relations consultant, that identifies Ang as a government employee. A remuneration of one peso, or a salary of one million pesos, makes no difference when it comes to defining that category. In the light of this development, how can Dante remain publisher of a daily newspaper? He’s got to make up his mind: whether he belongs to the free media, or he belongs to the GMA administration. Namamangka sa dalawang ilog ba?

I hope the banca or boat that capsizes owing to this strange maneuver isn’t "The Good Ship GMA" itself.

Who can believe that Bobi Tiglao, as the Chief Executive claims, remains head of the "Communications Group" even if he’s in Kyoto? Communicating to Manila from Kyoto and vice-versa by e-mail, fax, telephone or Do Co Mo seems the height of absurdity. Let’s face it, Bobi Tiglao’s gone with the wind. I could be wrong, but the way I see it, he has no intention of going back to the Puzzle Palace where it’s all done with mirrors – cracked mirrors, at that.

* * *

It’s great that our Chief Executive is on a "phone pal" relationship with US President George W. Bush (she might even be calling him Dubya, as his good ole boys do.) We certainly are in a lockstep with each other when it comes to fighting terrorism. But let’s not forget that it must be against anybody who’s engaging in terrorism, not just one bunch who’ve been streotyped as terrorists.

It would be hypocritical for anyone here to deny that there’s a material advantage to be derived from being buddy-buddy with the rich and "powerful" United States of America. In such a love-fest, however, it’s important that GMA should be able to draw the line at the point where comradeship and fraternity (sorority?) might be seen to deteriorate into servility.

She must not fall into the trap of echoing or mimicking Bush & Company in every aspect of foreign policy – such as Washington, DC’s dealings with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the Arab nations.

Right now, Mr. Bush and his overworked Secretary of State, retired General Colin Powell, are doing a lot of desperate broken field running in a late-game "catch-up" attempt to score a touchdown with the diplomatic score standing at 0-0. Bush, who really dislikes Yasser Arafat and regards him "No-sir bin Duplicity", has been forced to change tack virtually in mid-stream, and dispatch Powell to visit Arafat in his Israeli-surrounded and almost completely demolished Ramallah compound, for a "three-hour" chat.

We can admire Powell for sailing through that uncomfortable dialogue with Arafat, then buzzing off to Beirut, where he half-smiled, half-gritted his teeth, through a clumsy translation by a lady interpreter whose English wasn’t at par with her Arabic (or vice-versa) then warning the Lebanese, the Syrians (and less directly the "Axis of Evil" Iranians) that Hezbollah rockets and other attacks at Northern Israel and the Golan might lead to a widening of the conflict. Powell has been assigned the tight-rope task of scolding both the Israelis and the Palestinians in tones of equal censure (thank goodness, he’s of Jamaican descent, and can’t be accused of being a Jewish or Arab Semite). And thus far, he’s carried it off, if not necessarily with full aplomb, at least with his countenance leavened by a self-deprecating and humorous expression. But can he bring about a "ceasefire"? Not very likely. Israel’s bellicose heavy-duty Prime Minister (who’s been to Beirut and back in 1991 in bloody fashion) has ignored Bush’s ultimatum issued 13 days ago to pull his IDF troops and tanks back from the West Bank "immediately", if not sooner. Sharon only promises to withdraw his rampaging IDF when his forces have completed their mission to destroy the infrastructure of "terrorism", and that could take a long time.

For his part, Arafat – who’s become a balik-hero to the Palestinians and Arabs, rescued from his decline by Israeli persecution – can half-heartedly condemn terroristic suicide bombings (the Israelis and Yanks are now calling it "homicide-bombing") but he really would prefer to condemn the IDF terrorism in Jenin and Nablus, other West Bank Palestinian communities. The suicide-bombing (the most recent one last Friday being exploded by a woman at a crowded bus stop in Jerusalem, killing six Israelis and wounding 40 others) have ruined the fabric of everyday life in Israel.

The IDF revenge assaults, for their part, have resulted in the deaths of 500 or more Palestinians, including women and children, the devastation of entire city blocks, and the "arrest" of 4,000 Palestinians with sordid instances of humiliation and torture.

There is too much blood on the ground. There is bitterness and hatred everywhere. There is mutual treachery and deception. How can there be a ceasefire at this harsh stage? How can rationality be brought back, and the combatants, in turn, be brought back to the peace table?

Only a "miracle" can bring even a "short time" peace about. In that troubled 20,000 square miles comprising Israel and Palestine – once called "The Land of the Bible" – miracles, whether from Allah, Yahweh, or God Almighty (One and the same God, actually) seem to be in short supply.

* * *

With 1.3 million Filipinos working all over the Middle East, President Macapagal-Arroyo might do well to remember that our national interest requires us to stay aloof from this controversy, not backstop the USA as might be her personal inclination.

Bush has his own troubles, among them the fact that there are more Jews in America than there are in Israel, and they pack a punch in Congress (the other occupied "East Bank", i.e. the US Eastern Seaboard), in the political establishment, in the media, in banking and finance, and in Hollywood.

Moreover, as Steven R. Weisman pointed out yesterday in The New York Times, it’s possible that "a factor in Bush’s thinking is the memory that his father was widely criticized by Israelis and American Jews for what was perceived as a tough approach to Israel. This president is said to be keen to avoid his father’s mistakes, and the implication that one of them is needless antagonism of potential supporters at home. Now he is getting criticism from Jewish leaders, conservatives and fervent Israel supporters."

Without sacrificing our own principles, it’s important that we not rock the boat in that corner of the Middle East which is in ferment.

The world price of oil per barrel already stands at $24.39. After Venezuela’s feisty, Left-leaning President Hugo Chavez Frias bounced back into the palace in Caracas after a hiatus of 48 hours in limbo when he was temporarily ousted by a coalition of rightwing generals, business moguls, angry citizens and trade unionists, the oil prices shot up by another dollar. Why? Because Chavez, who hates Americans (although Venezuela exports most of its oil to the USA), is a hardliner on raising oil prices and leading the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) into greater control of world oil production.

Chavez was swept back into power by the mass demonstrations which flooded the streets, the mobs shouting their support for him, and by the fact that, when success was in their grasp, the opposition splintered. A turnabout by the military, an overreach by arrogant businessmen represented by the 60-year-old business federation leader Pedro Carmona (who had been installed last Friday as "president" then tried to abolish a duly-elected Congress), and a backlash provoked by this among the trade unionists whose "strike" had precipitated Chavez’s "downfall", quickly wrote finis to the failed revolution."

Chavez, however, learned a lesson from his short but painful fall from grace. He cleverly declared on television: "I do not return in anger. There must be no retaliation, no witch-hunt." He even did something his idol, Cuba’s Fidel Castro, would never do. On TV, he held up a crucifix in one hand (his left hand, if that’s significant) and laid his right hand on a miniature copy of Venezuela’s 1999 Constitution.

Will this spirit of reconciliation last or was that virtuouso performance only for show?

We’ll eventually see.

In the meantime, let’s tread carefully.

Something one of my best buddies, the late Colonel Leonie Hernandez, a former head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), said to me ages ago is still true today. By way of background, Colonel Hernandez was a man of principle and true grit. He was ISAF chief in 1965 when Diosdado Macapagal was the incumbent President, and Senate President Ferdinand E. Marcos was campaigning to defeat Macapagal’s reelection bid and become President. Marcos sought a one-on-one meeting with Hernandez. He told Leonie: "Play ball with me. Report to me on the administration’s plans – and support me in the armed forces. When I win, I pledge, I’ll reward you handsomely."

To which Hernandez replied candidly: "Sir, when you become President and Commander-in-Chief, you’ll have my undivided loyalty and support as an officer of our armed forces. At this time, I’m sworn to support, under the Constitution, the present President and Commander-in-Chief, His Excellency, Mr. Macapagal."

When Macoy, indeed, triumphed, Hernandez knew that his career was over. And he retired from the service.

It has forever stuck in my mind, however, what Hernandez used to constantly counsel all of us, his coffee-mates: "The Americans are our friends and allies. But we’re not on the same team. For us, there is only one team: the Philippine team! This must be kept in mind, first, last and always!"

You bet, Leonie. We’ll never forget.

* * *

I was alarmed a few days ago when I saw US Ambassador to the Philippines Francis Joseph Ricciardone (that’s his Boston-bred name) being interviewed on television. Ricciardone, a smug look on his face, was lecturing us Filipinos "open skies." He declared that we should accept "open skies" and open trade if we wanted to progress.

It’s the same selfish refrain the United States had been trumpeting long before the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. I thought that the US had abandoned that arrogant policy, chastened by the hammerblows of that terrible day of infamy and the need to gain the support of "friends" all over the world in the fight against global terrorism. Yet, what really affronted me — and I’m certain many other televiewers – was the supercilious tone of Frank Ricciardone who sounded like he thought he was the American "Governor General" of the Philippines. Excuse me, Frank. One of the last US High Commissioners, when war broke out in 1942, was a gentlemen named Francis B. Sayre — who, incidentally, gave his name to the former Sayre Highway in Mindanao. The post-war High Commissioner was Paul V. McNutt. After McNutt, we don’t need another "High Commissioner" or "Governor General" or, salamabit, "imperial" Ambassador dictating to us, or hectoring us. Go home, Yankee, if you don’t learn to mind your manners.

The one and only time I met Ricciardone was when he first arrived, just after he had presented his credentials to President GMA. At that encounter he seemed like a good guy — courteous, affable, and friendly. I’ve had no occasion to deal with him since then, so what I say isn’t personal. But I hate like hell to see an American official strutting around like he was King of the Hill.

I’m sorry that Ricciardone – from what I hear from various people, including European diplomats who’ve been annoyed by his lofty ways (as if he were saying: "I’m the top diplomat here, and the only one who counts") – has been frittering away the goodwill generated by his predecessor, former acting Ambassador and Chargé d’Affaires Mike Malinowsky (now US Ambassador to Nepal) and outgoing US Consul General John Caulfield. Perhaps Ricciardone – who’s supposed to have all the qualifications of a diplomat, fluent for instance in Arabic, Italian, Turkish and French – doesn’t seem capable of speaking the earnest language of the heart.

Perhaps I do him an injustice by this conclusion. Yet, he appears to be turning out into the sort of Republican characterized by the American President William McKinley who decided to annex the Philippines on the lame excuse that it was America’s duty "to Christianize our little brown brothers" (we had, after all, been Catholic for over 300 years).It’s possible,of course, that Ricciardone has been encouraged to swagger about by the fawning attitudes of the Filipinos he’s met. We have no dearth of Little Browns and "mental colonists." And it’s true affection many Filipinos have for Americans can be misunderstood.

Sure, there are 1,200 Filipinos applying daily for visas to go to the United States. That’s a fact, But this is a statistic that must not be misinterpreted.

Sure, we welcome the help of the US armed forces in our fight against the Abus and other rebels and terrorists. (I notice that our old friend, Admiral Dennis C. Blair, the commander of the US armed forces in the Pacific or CINCPAC, is in Zamboanga on a farewell visit, prior to his retirement on May 2). But if "help" means that we have to prostrate ourselves before some smart-aleck delegate of the Great White Father, it’s "no way, Jose" – I mean, no way Frank.

Get real, Mr. Ricciardone. This is the Republic of the Philippines, not Puerto Rico, or Guam, or Cam X-Ray, Guantanamo.