Page 31 - Hello Philippines February 2016 'B' issue

February 2016 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition PHILIPPINE EMBASSY AROUND THE WORLD
DFA Secretary del Rosario Exits After a 5-Year Principled Stewardship
SECRETARY Albert F. del Rosario
is leaving the Department of Foreign
Affairs at the start of March after
five (5) years of serving as Cabinet
Member of the Aquino administration.
“It has truly been a distinct honor
and privilege to have fully dedicated
myself to our country and the Filipino
people under the leadership of His
Excellency President Benigno S.
Aquino III, the Chief Architect of
Philippine Foreign Policy,” Secretary
del Rosario said.
Recognized for bringing new
dynamism to the DFA, Secretary
del Rosario, under the President’s
guidance, has pursued a foreign policy
that is independent, principled, and
based on the rule of law; standing
firmly in promoting and defending
the Philippine national interest in the
global arena.
He has staunchly defended the
sovereignty and territorial integrity
of the country, raised the standards
of economic diplomacy as a tool of
statecraft and proactively ensured
the safety and security of overseas
Filipinos everywhere.
During the July 22, 2013 State of
the Nation Address (SONA), President
Aquino praised Secretary del Rosario
stating:
“All things considered, Secretary
Albert could have said ‘no’ to
working again in Government after
being removed from his position as
Ambassador to America for opposing
the past administration’s declaration
of a State of Emergency back in 2006...
Now, he is contributing even more as
Secretary. He is ready to put himself in
harm’s way because he knows that no
one else will save Filipinos but fellow
Filipinos. For continuing to stand up
for our rights, I salute you, Secretary
Albert del Rosario.”
On Assistance to Nationals. Barely
36 hours after being sworn in as the
24th Secretary of Foreign Affairs
on February 24, 2011, Secretary del
Rosario arrived in Tripoli, Libya to
extricate some 400 overseas Filipinos
out of the war-torn city, into the
Libyan-Tunisian border.
Since then, in addition to Libya,
he has been, several times, to Syria,
Yemen, Iraq and Egypt resulting in
the DFA’s repatriation of over 24,000
Filipinos in these countries torn by
civil strife, devastated by natural
and other disasters, and affected
by pandemics. From 2011 to 2015,
the DFA extended assistance to
over 80,000 overseas Filipinos and
members of their families.
On Advancing National Security.
With the President’s directive,
the Secretary has made the West
Philippine Sea/South China Sea issue
a foreign policy priority, intensifying
its advocacy for the primacy of the rule
of law, including the UN Convention
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and
the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Closely working with key agencies
under the President’s directives, the
Secretary championed arbitration
as an open, friendly and transparent
mechanism in resolving the maritime
dispute, negotiated with allies for the DFA was directly responsible for
Philippine Defense Modernization
Program, and consulted with
foreign counterparts on policy and
operational issues.
On Economic Diplomacy. Under
the Secretary’s guidance and in
cooperation with partner agencies,
the DFA, through its 84 Posts, has
taken a revitalized role as promoters
of Philippine trade, investments,
tourism and ODA.
Guided by the DFA Strategic Plan for
2012-2016 and in consonance with the
One Country-Team approach, Foreign
Service Posts (FSPs) have been guided
by the following overarching goals for
economic diplomacy: (1) Strengthen
DFA structures and capacities in
relation to economic security; (2)
Contribute to jobs generation; and (3)
Assist in poverty reduction.
From 2011 to 2015, a total of 205
economic agreements were signed,
covering labor, trade, education,
tourism and air services. Restoring
morale by further strengthening the
career service corps;
u Upgrading economic diplomacy
skills through a partnership with AIM;
v Placing merit over seniority in
the career advancement process;
w Rationalizing PH presence
overseas and reallocating resources
where these are most needed;
x Bringing cost-effective consular
services closer to the people by
moving DFA offices to malls such as
Ayala, Gaisano, Robinsons, SM, and
Ali Mall;
y Developing effective strategies
to negotiate and assert the rightful
position of the Philippines in the
community of nations;
z Submitted and awaiting the
President’s approval of a new scheme
for the Non-Resident Ambassadors
(NRAs) to cover Africa and Central
America;
{ Strongly encouraging all foreign
service personnel to reach beyond
their grasp, at all times, to promote
the national interest;
| Emphasizing the management
approach of leadership by example;
and
} Embarking on 151 Official
Missions over five (5) years to advance
the three (3) Foreign Policy Pillars of
the Philippines.
Results. Under the Secretary’s
leadership, the DFA has consistently
ranked as one of the top government
agencies, in terms of efficiency and
effectiveness, in surveys conducted
by the Social Weather Stations (SWS)
and the Makati Business Club (MBC).
In the SWS’ December 2015 survey
results on the Aquino administration’s
performance, four (4) out of 14
issues received the highest grade of
“GOOD.” These are: “Helping the
poor;” “Foreign relations;” “Promoting
the welfare of OFWs;” and “Protecting
the country’s territorial rights.” The
delivering three (3) of the top 4
(four) issues. On “Helping the poor’’,
DFA’s efforts have also directly and
indirectly contributed by increasing to
record-levels the Official Development
Assistance or ODAs to the Philippines.
For the MBC survey for the Top 10
Government Agencies in the last three
(3) years, DFA’s ranking has improved
from 11th spot in 2012 (no 2013
rankings), to #6 in 2014 and ranked
#4 in 2015.
Accomplishments. With President
Aquino’s guidance, Secretary del
Rosario has provided leadership
in the following major Philippine
advocacies and priorities: signing of
Agreement between the Republic of
the Philippines and the Republic of
Indonesia Concerning Delimitation
of the Exclusive Economic Zone
Boundary on 23 May 2014, successful
hosting of the 2015 APEC Economic
Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) on 18-19
November 2015, the launch of the
ASEAN Community in December
2015, the PH-US Enhanced Defense
Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and
the Philippines’ arbitration case before well as my inspiration,” the Secretary
the Permanent Court of Arbitration
(PCA) in The Hague.
Other milestones in international
diplomacy actively led by Secretary
del Rosario include the broadening
and deepening of Philippine
bilateral relations with valued
partners through the signing of
cooperation agreements, namely,
Philippines-Japan Joint Declaration
on a Strengthened Strategic
Partnership, Joint Declaration on
Philippines-Australia Comprehensive
Partnership, and Joint Statement on
the Establishment of a Philippines-
Vietnam Strategic Partnership.
At Multilateral and Regional
Platforms. Attending the UN General
Assembly (UNGA) High Level
Debate from 2012 to 2015, Secretary
del Rosario is consistent about his
key policy messages on “Right is
Might”when discussing the rule of
law as a great equalizer among States;
“inclusive growth” when highlighting
the importance of MDGs and the new
Social Development Goals or SDGs;
and on “climate resilience” when
promoting a bright and low-carbon
future for the next generation.
Whether in ASEAN, East Asia
Summit (EAS) or at the Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM), the Secretary
has articulated strong Philippine
statements on combating extremism
and terrorism, human trafficking and
migration, and climate change and
disaster risk reduction & management
(DRRM), while underscoring the need
for solidarity and policy coherence to
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Secretary Albert with me in navigating the challenging
del Rosario meet with Senator John McCain and
Jack Reed, US Senate Armed Services Committee
Chairman and ranking member, respectively, on
January 12 in Washington, D.C.
address these complex regional and
global issues.
Accolades. On 25 September 2015,
the College of Mount Saint Vincent
in New York City, President Cory
Aquino’s alma mater, conferred an
Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree
(Honoris Causa) to Secretary del
Rosario for “principled commitment
to democracy, integrity and the rule
of law both at home and around the
globe.”
“The Honorary Doctor of Laws that
the Mount Saint Vincent has conferred
upon me will always be my treasure as
said.
InNovember2014,theManagement
Association of the Philippines (MAP),
in turn, conferred on the Secretary the
prestigious MAP Management Man of
the Year 2014 for his“contribution to
re-shaping national values by setting
an example that Filipino professional
managers can emulate through his
track record of integrity, professional
competence, and strong leadership in
his management career in both public
and private sectors.”
Other distinguished awards
conferred upon the Secretary during
his term as foreign affairs Chief were
the Order of Lakandula with a Rank
of Grand Cross (Bayani) as co-Chair of
the 2015 APEC-National Organizing
Committee (December 2015); one of
People Asia’s 2015 People of the Year
awardees (January 2015); the 2014
Dangal ng Lipifrom the Provincial
Government of Bulacan (September
2014); The 2013 Professorial Chair
for Public Service and Governance
awarded by the Ateneo School of
Government and The Metrobank
Foundation (December 2013) and The
Outstanding Manilan Award from the
City Government of Manila (June
2013).
From the Art of Management to
the Art of Diplomacy. Prior to joining
the Government in 2001 and in 2011,
Secretary del Rosario’s business career
included insurance, banking, real
estate, shipping, telecommunications,
consumer products, retail,
pharmaceutical, and food industries,
among others.
“With 40 years of private sector
experience, I have endeavoured to
www.hello-philippines.com 31
bring the business sector’s culture
and ever-changing world of
diplomacy, first as Ambassador to the
United States and then as Secretary of
Foreign Affairs,” the Secretary said.
As Philippine Ambassador to
the United States (2001-August
2006), Secretary del Rosario was
instrumental in, among others,
securing US$1.2 Billion U.S. funding
assistance for the Philippines;
realizing investments in the country’s
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
industry; and acquiring greater access
for Philippine exports.
His enduring legacy also includes a
first-time formation of the Philippines-
US Friendship Caucus composed of
over 80 legislators from the US House
of Representatives; successful launch
of an unprecedented challenge to
the decision of the California Public
Employees Retirement System
(CalPERS) to remove the Philippines
from its list of approved investment
locations; pro-actively supported
the Armed Forces of the Philippines’
Modernization Program (AFPMP);
successfully lobbied before the
U.S. Congress not to prejudice the
Philippine canned tuna industry as a
result of a preferential treatment for
Andean countries; undertook efforts
to realize major benefits for Filipino
and Filipino-American veterans; and
pioneered the Annual Ambassadors/
Consuls General Tour (ACGT) of the
Philippines.
Message from the Man-on-the-
Move. On his plans post-DFA, Secretary
del Rosario explained, “I plan to
return to the private sector, spend
more time with my family, especially
with my precious grandchildren, and
work on being in good health.”
To the DFA Officials and
Employees, he has this to say: “It has
been a real honor and privilege to
have worked with all the outstanding
men and women of the ‘Department
that never sleeps.’ Please accept my
most profound appreciation for all
your hard work, sacrifice and service
and above all, for reaching beyond
your grasp.”
The Secretary also conveyed a
message to the Philippine media:
“I deeply appreciate the friendship,
support and cooperation that the
Philippine media has accorded me. I
want to thank them for their inherent
love of our people and our country
and their uniting with us in promoting
our national interest.”
Asked on how he wants to be
remembered after his tenure as
Secretary of Foreign Affairs?”,
Secretary del Rosario said, “When
I first met President Aquino, His
Excellency stated that he had called
for me because I was a fighter for
democracy. In truth, I simply want to
be remembered as a patriot.” n Philippine
Embassy Philippines / February 10, 2016