EDITORIAL - Staying on

Three cheers for retired Armed Forces chief Generoso Senga, the first political appointee with the delicadeza to quit as ambassador even before a recall order was issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs. And loud jeers for all the other political ambassadors who have failed to follow Senga’s example. When the DFA recalled all non-career ambassadors last month in line with the change in administration, all sorts of excuses were given by many of the political appointees to stay in their posts.

Ambassadors rarely worry about creating a vacuum in their absence from the country’s embassies. When they leave their posts for a vacation or for consultations with the home office or other official business, they simply designate a chargé d’affaires from among the senior foreign service personnel in the mission. It is the same among foreign missions in Manila, including the US embassy, which can function for many months under a chargé d’affaires until an ambassador arrives.

Yesterday the DFA effectively overturned its recall order, giving 18 political ambassadors who have refused to return up to three months to remain in their posts, ostensibly to wind up their affairs while awaiting their replacements. Senga and the six other political ambassadors who have returned to Manila did not need three months to wind up their affairs. The affected Philippine missions do not seem to be the worse for it.

Amid this flap, the new administration should be realizing the need to streamline its act quickly. Malacañang’s first memorandum circular declared all non-career government personnel to be coterminous with the former president who appointed them, only to clarify that the affected employees, including those on a contractual basis, could stay in their posts until July 31 unless otherwise terminated. Malacañang has yet to clarify the status of the chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority. Current chief Oscar Inocentes says his position is not coterminous with the former president and he would remain in his post until notified of his replacement.

If the new administration wants to hit the ground running, it needs the bureaucracy to function efficiently. This is not possible if there is confusion over the status of those occupying key positions in government. Not all officials are like Senga who understand the need to give a new president a free hand in reorganizing the government.