Why I gave US Ambassador Philip Goldberg a Chinese New Year scroll on health (not prosperity), and why he’ll watch ‘Heneral Luna’ this weekend

It was an unforgettable breakfast. Thanks to US Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg for coming all the way from his Forbes Park residence in Makati in his Cadillac limousine to Quezon City’s oldest bakery cafe (which I’ve bought and revived).

The Bostonian diplomat agreed to have traditional Filipino breakfast of humble pugon-baked pandesal and corned beef, and to speak with international and local media as well as intellectuals at the non-partisan, liberal, issues-focused and tertulia-inspired Pandesal Forum of Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City. While the guests all drank Benguet mountains’ Arabica coffee, both the ambassador and I drank from a pot of the cafe’s green tea.

Two of the most erudite, humble and well-read diplomats in the Philippines today whom I admire are Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua and American Ambassador Goldberg. I realized this even more on the morning of Feb. 3, when the US ambassador visited.

Actually, US Embassy staff have been communicating with me since late last year when the Pandesal Forum started. In December, I was surprised when embassy staff told me the ambassador wanted to breakfast at 5 a.m. after the traditional simbang gabi Christmas Mass in churches, but I told them most journalists sleep late and wake up not so early.

By the way, as the envoy spoke about his country’s commitment to fight “the scourge of terrorism” and ISIS, I was glad I had arranged the best security that day. Allow me to express special thanks to Philippine National Police (PNP) national capital region’s chief General Joel D. Pagdilao for acceding to my special request to deploy numerous police officers in the area and also for the help of his efficient police officer Kimberly “Kim” Molitas. Thanks also to Barangay Kamuning’s chairman Jayson Encomienda for sending many tanod to assist.

Colonization of Philippines, ‘Heneral Luna,’ World War II and MacArthur

Most of the questions at the forum dwelled on serious topics like diplomacy, geopolitics, anti-terrorism, economics and security which Ambassador Goldberg answered in a forthright manner. For my part, as moderator of the forum, I decided to ask some light questions. 

I queried him about the latest books he has read and was pleasantly surprised by his openminded reading choices which touched on non-traditional topics of Philippine and Asian history not commonly studied even in our schools — America’s colonial conquest of the Philippines over a century ago and General Douglas MacArthur’s allowing the rebuilding of postwar Japan without prosecuting Emperor Hirohito under whose name World War was waged.

Ambassador Goldberg said he has read Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America’s Imperial Dream authored by investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Gregg Jones. Goldberg said the book chronicles early years of American rule in the Philippines, the war, the political debate about colonization between advocates led by President Teddy Roosevelt and the anti-imperialists like the famous writer Mark Twain. Wow!

I asked Ambassador Goldberg whether he has heard about the nationalist-themed indie movie Heneral Luna, which tells the saga of General Antonio Luna who led the Philippine war against American colonization before he was betrayed by our own politicos of the oligarchy. He said he has a DVD of this film, and plans to watch it this Chinese New Year weekend. I and other journalists asked jokingly if he had bought the DVD in Greenhills? He laughed to say it was a gift to him.

 The second book Ambassador Goldberg said he recently read is The Emperor’s General, which he described as “authored by forner Senator Jim Webb, it’s historical fiction.” I think this novel The Emperor’s General can help explain why the revival of postwar Japan was different from postwar Germany, with Japan seemingly glossing over its tragic war crimes in history books and museums. Up to now, early this month, Japan’s government just told the United Nations there is no evidence that the Imperial Japanese Army or wartime government forcibly seized women to work in military brothels as “comfort women,” despite the preponderance of evidence from the Philippines, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, etc.

‘Love triangle’ of Philippines, US and China not zero-sum game, but ideally a win-win

Although the main topic of Ambassador Goldberg’s Pandesal Forum was the state of Philippine-American ties, one recurring topic raised by international and local media was America’s seeming love/hate relations with the world’s other rising economic superpower: China.

A foreign media journalist asked whether the US sees the rise of China as a threat to its leadership. Another journalist from a Middle East newspaper asked whether America’s close economic partnership with China will mean lesser attention to the Philippines and the territorial disagreement over the Spratleys. Goldberg replied: “We have a very important relationship with China. I want to make clear, we welcome the rise of China. We have certain disagreements, but we also find areas of cooperation like on North Korea, Iran, Syria and Iraq. We have some disagreements on some issues.” He said US ties with China are important, but no less important are US ties with the Philippines which he described as “our ally.”

I see the seemingly complicated “love triangle” of the Philippines, US and China in a different way from the foreign media correspondent: not as the US favoring the Philippines or China in a zero-sum game mindset, and not also a question of whether the Philippines should be pro-US or pro-China.

The best scenario for us is win-win, with the Philippines being good friends of our former colonizer (now treaty ally) the US, and our traditional friend since ancient times, China. In fact, I think we in the Philippines can play an important geopolitical role for a more prosperous and stable Asia by being a bridge of understanding between both superpowers.

Again on China, Goldberg mentioned that China right now has 250,000 students studying in America but the Philippines today only has 3,000 students there. He encourages more Filipino students to go study in America, to go talk to them at their event called “EducationUSA” on the afternoon of Feb. 16 at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel.

Why i gave ambassador Goldberg ‘good health’ couplet and not ‘prosperity’ wish

Last but not least, the talented photojournalist Bullit Marquez of Associated Press took a photo of me which was published in worldwide media. That picture showed me gifting Ambassador Goldberg with a Chinese New Year scroll with the blessing “Shen-thi jian-khang” or “A wish for good health,” also gifts of pugon-baked pandesal and the cafe’s unique chocolate sansrival cake.

A regular customer of the bakery cafe, finance consultant Ester Choa Sy, gave me a pair of those Chinese New Year blessings called tui-lian or couplet which she bought in Singapore, one for each side of the door. One wish was for prosperity, another wish was for good health.

I kept the prosperity wish not because I love money more than health, but because Ambassador Goldberg is already affluent and I know the physically disciplined envoy is a health buff  who likes running, so I gave him this blessing: the priceless wealth of good health.

Happy Chinese New Year to all, may we enjoy prosperity and good health always!

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