Category: Foreign Affairs

It’s the President who wants me in Beijing: Domingo Lee

Published by Ellen on December 1, 2011

It doesn’t matter at all if Domingo Lee was not familiar with the terms “hard power” and “soft power” and other common terms in diplomacy during the Commission on Appointments deliberation on his appointment as ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.

He will be the Filipino people’s representative to China because President Aquino wants it.

The 77-year old Lee is the childhood friend of the President’s father, the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.

In a lunch meeting with Lee last Monday, he related how he got to be chosen as ambassador to China after the disastrous stint of former Ambassador Francisco Benedicto, Gloria Arroyo’s appointee but was retained by Aquino upon the recommendation by former Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.

The danger that Domingo Lee poses to national interest

Published by Ellen on November 24, 2011

Domingo Lee at Senate hearing Nov 23, 2011 — Lee getting a briefing on Diplomacy 101 at Senate CA hearing Nov 23, 2011

Sen. Serge Osmeña III was so embarrassed by Domingo Lee’s ignorance about diplomacy that he appealed to President Aquino to withdraw Lee’s nomination as ambassador to China.

Related post: http://www.ellentordesillas.com/2011/08/16/will-lee-defend-ph-sovereignty-over-recto-bank-in-beijing/

But no, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, as reported by Philippine Star, said President Aquino has no plans at the moment to replace Lee as his nominee for the post of Philippine ambassador to China.

The reason, Lacierda said, was, “The government had not received objections from China with regard to the appointment of Lee.”

I’m glad that Lacierda also added, “We will leave it with the secretary of Foreign Affairs to comment on the statement of Senator (Sergio) Osmeña” because his statement waiting for an objection from China on the President’s choice of ambassador is worrisome.

Bring China’s 9-dash line to UN: Justice Carpio

Published by Ellen on November 6, 2011

The Philippine claim on the islands in the South China Sea , now being called West Philippine Sea by Philippine authorities, could have been stronger had past administrations been more decisive about asserting our claims in the area that is being claimed wholly by China and Taiwan and partially by, aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In a speech of Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio at the 50th anniversary celebration of Ateneo de Davao University last Oct. 29 on “The Rule of Law as the Great Equalizer’, he mentioned two instances when the Philippines could have done something but did not to strengthen the Philippine claim over the area that spans hundreds of thousands square kilometers including 53 islets.

Justice Carpio’s speech in full:

The Rule of Law as the Great Equalizer by Justice Carpio

The first time was right after the Philippines became a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982 and the other one was before China opted out in 2006 from the compulsory dispute settlement mechanism of UNCLOS.

Deepening PH and Vietnam relations

Published by Ellen on October 26, 2011

The Philippines and Vietnam share a common painful experience with colonial powers but each country dealt with them differently.
Philippine history as famously described by the eminent Carmen Guerrro Nakpil was “300 years in convent and 50 years of Hollywood” referring to 300 years of Spanish domination of Filipinos and 50 years under the Americans. In between, briefly, was the Japanese occupation.

Vietnam, on the other hand, fought fiercely – first the French and later, the Americans – and succeeded to throw out the colonial powers.

It is a tribute to the Vietnamese people that they have risen from the devastation caused by the colonial wars and is now considered the emerging economy in Southeast Asia.

China’s 9-dash line: map without coordinates

Published by Ellen on October 23, 2011

Although the two Chinese speakers in the recent forum on the South China Sea organized by the prestigious Carlos P. Romulo Foundation with the Institute of Asian Studies ,did not specifically mentioned their country’s nine-dash-line map in asserting the supremacy of their claim over the South China Sea, the subject surfaced several times in the one-and-a half days discussions.

While the Chinese speakers – Zhang Liangfu, first secretary of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs , and Chen Shiqiu , vice president of China UN Association and China Society of Human Rights Studies -skirted around the nine-dash-line map in asserting China’s claim over the South China Sea, parts of which are also being claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brune with Taiwan making the same over-encompassing claim as China, other speakers were forthright about their criticism about map submitted by China to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on May 7, 2009.

One speaker during the no-attribution session said the nine dash line map “can’t be justified.”

Still in search for a lasting solution to the South China Sea conflict

Published by Ellen on October 4, 2011

There’s relative calm in the just recently turbulent waters of South China, which makes it the best time to explore ways to find lasting solutions to the area which is being claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines,Vietnam, and Taiwan.

On Oct. 17, the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development chaired by former Foreign Secretary Roberto R. Romulo in collaboration with the Institute of South East Asian Studies, Singapore (ISEAS), will host a by- invitation- only forum at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City.

The CPR Foundation said there will be 23 notable former officials and authorities from academe speaking from ASEAN countries, China, Australia, India, Canada, the United States, and Europe. China has agreed to nominate three speakers for the event.

Fascinating assessments from US Embassy, Manila

Published by Ellen on September 4, 2011

Kristie kenney wd esperon — Kenney with the Hermogenes she admires

I’m fascinated by the Wikileaks releases of the cables from the US Embassy in Manila.

The latest I’ve read was then ambassador Kristie Kenney’s assessment of Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. as the defense secretary written in March 2007. It was one insult after another.

It said, “Tongue-tied and reticent, Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane stands in stark contrast to his articulate and sophisticated predecessor, Avelino “Nonong” Cruz. “

It continued: “Ebdane was far from the best choice President Arroyo could have made to succeed former Secretary Cruz. He is clearly no intellect, but a through-and-through loyalist, a quality that the president, who only a year ago faced down a coup attempt, treasures. “

Wikileaks:Ramos got P5M campaign contribution from Gaddafy

Published by Ellen on September 2, 2011

Fidel Ramos2 — Got illegal foreign election contribution?

Former Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafy contributed P5 million to the campaign of former President Ramos in 1992, according to a US Embassy report exposed by Wikileaks.

The Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines (Batas Pambansa 881) prohibits accepting contribution from foreigners.

The US Embassy report, written by then Deputy Chief of Mission Raymond Burghardt, quoted extensively a conversation with Joel de los Santos, who served as consultant to the Ramos administration.

“It was a well-kept secret, according to De Los Santos, that Ramos had received five million pesos (about dols 200,000) From the libyans to finance his presidential campaign in 1992,” the US Embassy cable said.

Lee didn’t make it as envoy to China

Published by Ellen on August 28, 2011

domingo lee photo — Going to China but not as ambassador yet

The Commission on Appointments was not able to take up the nomination of Domingo Lee as ambassador to China in its hearing last Wednesday so he won’t be able to assume the post in time for the visit of President Aquino starting tomorrow up to Sept. 2.

To justify Lee’s inclusion in the official delegation, President Aquino appointed him “presidential adviser for the China visit.”

We are sure the Chinese will perfectly understand.

The next CA meeting will be on Sept. 7. If any member of the CA invokes Sec. 20 (Suspension of action by the Commission on any nomination), Lee would have to wait for the November hearing for him to take on his much-coveted post which he got with a lot of help from presidential brother-in-law Eldon Cruz.

That should give him time to make his assets and income tax payments jibe because we heard a CA member noticed the big discrepancy and would like to ask him about it.

Will Lee defend PH sovereignty over Recto Bank in Beijing?

Published by Ellen on August 16, 2011

Update: Domingo Lee was not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments last Aug. 24 which prevents him from assuming his post as ambassador to China before the state visit of President Aquino starting Aug. 30.

To justify his inclusion in the official delegation, the President named Lee presidential adviser for the China visit.

Domingo Lee, President Aquino’s choice as ambassador to China, has been given briefing by the Department of Foreign Affairs in preparation for his taking up the post in Beijing last week of August in time for the President’s state visit to China starting Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.

There cannot be a discussion about Philippine-China relations without touching on the complex issue of conflicting claims in the Spratlys.

When the issue of sovereignty over West Philippine Sea came up, a source said, Lee said that would not be his priority because he will concentrate more on “business, business.”

Aquino has asked Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr to facilitate the confirmation of Lee next week and it is expected that would be done on Aug. 24.