Prospects for BBM's foreign relations

Our team has flown here from Atlanta and landed in Curacao, part of the ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) territories of the Caribbean. Our clients own many resort complexes and we are billeted in one of his luxurious properties. We will also fly to the Cayman Islands and the US Virgin Islands (looking for islands, not virgins) later this week. And at breakfast today, we were discussing the prospects of Philippine foreign relations under President Bongbong Marcos.

It can be recalled that under his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the Philippines was an active player in all major conferences all over the world. The old Marcos visited more than 200 countries in 21 years, including the USA, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, India, and practically all important European countries like the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, and the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). Marcos Sr. visited most of the countries in South America, like Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador. He even visited where we are today, the Caribbean, aside from Cuba and Panama. It would appear now that BBM will follow the same pattern. And that is good.

The old Marcos visited all major Middle East countries, especially the destinations of most OFWs, like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Of course, Marcos Sr. went to Israel a number of times and to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. Most of all, the father was very active in ASEAN affairs, when this regional alliance was still composed of the five original member states like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines. Today five more had been added: Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos PDR. From his pronouncements, BBM intends to strengthen even further our ties with the ASEAN, and will even bolster our regional alliance against the bullying policies of China in the West Philippine Sea. He can even write finis to the decades-old Sabah problem with Malaysia, if he is lucky.

The appointment of career diplomat Enrique Manalo is a strong signal that BBM respects the career and merit system among the ranks of our ambassadors, consuls, and other foreign envoys. This is a positive sign that shows how this new government values the importance of diplomacy to promote our political, economic and social interests, in addition to the protection of 12 million Filipinos who now reside in 200 countries and territories, either as migrant workers, permanent residents, or immigrants. We should recall that the old Marcos appointed General Carlos P. Romulo, the diplomat par excellence who signed the UN Charter at a time when the Philippines was not yet granted independence by the USA.

It has been announced that BBM is attending the UN General Assembly in New York come September, and he will be speaking before all the heads of state and heads of government and major diplomats. They are all eager to hear from the new guy on the block, and excited to hear how different he is from President Duterte who never visited the USA in his six-year term, while travelling to Moscow and Beijing a number of times. BBM is also slated to attend the APEC in Bangkok. Duterte did attend this conference in Peru, Vietnam, and Papua New Guinea. BBM has an open invitation to visit the White House, which was frequented by his late father from 1966 to 1985.

Here in Curacao, we are being served by an elderly Filipino waiter from Dimiao, Bohol, and he is excited, telling us that he was once able to serve the table of Marcos Sr. in the old Manila Hotel in 1985. We are all looking forward to better foreign relations under Marcos Jr., given the very positive signals conveyed by his decisions, appointments, and pronouncements. Let us then raise our glasses and drink our Caribbean vodka. Here’s to a better Philippines in the eyes of the world.