‘New kid in town’

When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, he described himself as the “new kid in town.” And yes, he was new, the latest addition to this exclusive club of ASEAN leaders. Founded in August 1967, there were only five member-states. The Philippines was led by his father President Marcos Sr., Indonesia by General Suharto, Singapore by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysia had Prime Minister Tungku Abdul Rahman and Thailand Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn. These five men were the original leaders of the ASEAN countries.

Their foreign ministers – Narciso Ramos of the Philippines, Adam Malik of Indonesia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand – are considered as the Founding Fathers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The name that was adopted was the suggestion of Indonesian Adam Malik. At that time, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was ten years old, born in September 1957, the only son of president Marcos Sr.

With his boyish face, thick black hair, BBM looked like a kid beside the others, most of whom he was meeting for the first time. It was also his first visit to Cambodia, a place where my father served as Philippine ambassador in the early sixties, concurrent with South Vietnam. It was president Diosdado Macapagal who sent him abroad after serving as the nation’s first commissioner of tourism.

Cambodia was led by Prince Norodom Sihanouk and his lovely lady, Princess Monique, both of whom I had the pleasure to meet during a state visit to Manila in 1964.

A few notes on Cambodia. Officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, the government is a constitutional monarchy with the head of state being King Norodom Sihamoni, eldest son of the prince. The head of government is Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled his country for 37 years, making him the longest-serving leader in the world. He was a former Khmer Rouge commander before defecting and taking over the government in a coup.

Many years ago, during my posting in Indonesia, I had the opportunity to meet Hun Sen. At that time, we did not recognize his government so contact was minimal and at arms’ length. But Hun Sen requested a private meeting with Philippine officials, and so I accompanied foreign secretary Raul Manglapus and his special assistant, Ambassador Rora Tolentino, to meet him at his suite in Hotel Indonesia.

The man we met turned out to be a quiet, low-key individual, reflective of his humble origins as a farm boy. He had lost his left eye in battle and wore thick lenses, perhaps to cover the wound. A chain smoker, he spoke through a translator, expressing the wish that one day the Philippines and Cambodia would enjoy the warm and friendly relations they shared in the past. Today he is in total control over his nation, with his son Hun Manet set to succeed him in 2023.

In 2012, during an ASEAN Foreign Ministers gathering in Phnom Penh, one of the most heated meetings in ASEAN history took place. Just as Philippine foreign secretary Albert del Rosario was about to raise the issue of the South China Sea, his microphone went dead. Cambodia shrugged off the incident as merely a “technical glitch.” The host country made sure nothing was said or done that would irritate China in any way. For the first time in 45 years of ASEAN, no concluding joint communique was issued. The Cambodian ambassador in Manila was sent home.

Going back to BBM, as he moved from one leader to another, one wonders what they were thinking, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with this young man who was now the president of his country. Perhaps, they were asking themselves why would the Filipino people elect the son of a leader they threw out in a revolt in 1986? Was there something special about him, aside from the name? He speaks well, appears to be intelligent and knowledgeable. We need more time to get to know him. Or, perhaps they were reminded that his father made possible ASEAN. Cambodia is its tenth and youngest member, with East Timor next in line for full partnership in the organization.

President Marcos Jr. may be the “new kid” in ASEAN but here he is well known, having served as governor of his father’s home province, congressman for the second district of Ilocos Norte and senator of the Republic in the 14th Congress.

Elected president last May by a huge majority over his rivals, his first four and a half months in office have been marked mainly by indecision. His Cabinet lacks a permanent Agriculture secretary, a Health secretary, a DND chief and only last week were the positions of AFP vice chief of staff, Navy flag officer in-command and head of Southern Luzon Command filled up, with Western Mindanao Command, perhaps the most critical in the area, still held in an acting capacity.

His initial appointments as executive secretary and press secretary did not last very long. Other short-term appointments were made and revoked with no explanation. One glaring example was the case of Jose Arthur Tugade, son of former DOTC head Art Tugade, who was announced as MIA general manager just as an earlier appointee was chairing a MIAA meeting. Tugade was then moved to the LTO, replacing a new appointee, Teofilo Guadiz III, who was kicked upstairs to accommodate Tugade.

The situation does not inspire much confidence in the leadership. We are looking good on the international stage but the problems that need solving are here. We hope the coming year will show more decisive action on the issues that affect the lives of our people.