DFA answers protests vs nomination of 2 non-career envoys

The Department of Foreign Affairs defended on Monday the nomination by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of two non-career ambassadors against the protests of foreign service officers. Last week, the Union of Foreign Service Officers (Unifors) through its president Victoria Bataclan urged President Arroyo to withdraw the nomination of Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco as ambassador to Italy and the transfer of Ambassador Francisco Benedicto from India to China. The DFA, however, said in a statement that the President is constitutionally authorized to appoint both career and non-career ambassadors subject to the approval of the Commission on Appointments (CA). “It is essential that the country is represented in foreign capitals by qualified officials who have the President’s trust and confidence," the department further stated. The Unifors earlier protested the nominations of both Cuenco and Benedicto in a letter to President Arroyo, citing the unjustified additional expense for their deployment and transfer, as they would only have five months to serve should their appointments be confirmed. The CA is set to decide on their appointments on Wednesday December 16, and should they be confirmed, both Cuenco and Benedicto will start in February with only five months left in the Arroyo administration. The Unifors also cited the Foreign Service Act which prescribes the retirement of officers who have reached the age of 65. The implementing rules and regulations of the act also prohibit foreign designation for officers who are over 62 years old. Cuenco is 73 while Benedicto is 69 years old. The DFA statement, however, did not comment on the contentions of the union and instead said non-career ambassadors have the necessary experiences and backgrounds that have “helped advance the country’s strategic national interests in the international community." Non-career employment refers to temporary, often part-time, assignment which does not relate to an employee’s overall career history. Cuenco has been the chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in the last four years, while Benedicto, founder of the private school Benedicto College in Cebu, was a former DFA undersecretary and was previously appointed as ambassador to Singapore, Korea, Brazil, Canada, and India by the last four Presidents. The Unifors has consistently been calling on Arroyo to prioritize the appointment of career officials to professionalize the foreign service and ensure continuity. Arroyo withdrew last month her nomination of DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr., a non-career diplomat, as Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Switzerland following the Unifors’s protests. – Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV