Out of PNG
AMADO S. TOLENTINO, JR.
First of 2 parts
A diplomat is a multi-headed genius beast – a man who can handle political and economic analysis, turn his hand to information or aid work, and yet still knows how to get someone out of jail or send a body home.
–Erik Clarke, Corps Diplomatique
I DREAMT of a diplomatic posting in Africa but it was not meant to be. The closest was an assignment to Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Oceania, located on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. Both are hardship posts but Kenya would have afforded me the opportunity to be, at the same time, the Philippine representative to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi where I was doing a continuing consultancy work on environmental law.
I did a short job for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) just a few months before I received the PNG assignment and somehow, I knew the place. Strange that after just five months in Port Moresby, I was informed by the Home Office (Department of Foreign Affairs headquarters) that the Nairobi post had become available and would I wish to go through the rigors of the Commission on Appointments procedure to be reassigned. I decided to stay put as I had eased into life in PNG.
A whirl of a time
My first 48 hours in Port Moresby was a whirl of a time — presentation of credentials to the Governor-General (representing the Queen as a Commonwealth member) and the next day, I was on a flight back to Manila accompanying the PNG Prime Minister who was to attend the 4th APEC conference. It was, at the same time, my first exposure to the world of APEC.
Back to Port Moresby, Day 1 was for formal briefing with the small embassy staff — all males. (It took a few more years before a female could be assigned to the post.)
The Philippine Embassy was servicing about 5,000 Filipinos during the late 1990s. Professional and skilled contract workers abound in the government and in the private sector with 90 percent in the latter. There were also around 300 Filipino religious missionaries all over PNG with their respective mission houses concentrated on a hill in Port Moresby popularly referred to as Little Vatican. Majority of them were Catholic priests, nuns and lay missionaries. Also present were missionaries from other denominations, e.g. Protestant, Seventh Day Adventists, Iglesia ni Kristo.
The pioneer Filipino teachers who arrived in PNG more than 50 years ago per a RP-PNG agreement are very much admired and still talked about to this day. They are looked up to by PNG people who are most grateful at their teaching skills in all areas of education.
Bilateral cooperation
The Philippines and Papua New Guinea subscribed to bilateral instruments before and during my incumbency. Among them: joint undertakings in the economic and technical fields; air service agreement; tourism cooperation; investment promotion; agricultural cooperation; fisheries agreement; defense cooperation. Implementation of commitments were pursued in earnest which included ushering PNG into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as a Special Observer.
The recent state visit of the current Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O’Neil, brought forth the need for further cooperative activities between the two countries. Hopefully, the post’s recommendation for an RP-PNG working group will provide a venue for effective regular dialogues and interaction. Representatives from each country’s foreign trade, labor and agriculture ministries as well as representatives from business sectors may further meet regularly to identify, discuss and carry out opportunities for bilateral cooperation. A recent fruitful outcome is the increased air service between Manila and Port Moresby by PAL and Air Niugini.
Be that as it may, for trade to actually happen between the two countries, there is a need for a deeper knowledge between the two societies, and this is where cultural exchanges and promotion take a particular significance. Bilateral cooperation in any form — political, economic and trade — cannot happen if people do not know about the other country. This sums up the diplomat’s role — to represent and transmit the interests of the country of origin to the country of destination.
Mention should be made that the late 1990s saw Filipino investments in PNG — RD Tuna Canners Pty. Ltd. (South Cotabato) which employs hundreds of Papua New Guineans; and Jollibee (which has since ceased operations).
‘Baptism of fire’
The normalcy, peace and quiet did not last long. My ‘baptism of fire’ happened in early 1997 when a military revolt almost toppled the government. Described later as a dramatic military intervention, it was led by a youthful brigadier general opposed to the hiring of mercenaries to retake the Panguna mine from the rebels in Bougainville and reopen the country’s rich copper mine. He denied allegations that he was aiming to take power himself.
Protest demonstrations marred from time to time by violence became a daily occurrence until it reached a point when the evacuation of Filipinos in the country seemed imminent. Communication with Home Office was constant. Contacts were made with the Philippine Embassy in Canberra (Australia) and plans were laid out on the details of evacuation by air and sea of frantic Filipino families. Fortunately, the crisis was successfully deterred and the need to evacuate dissipated. To think that the leader of the dissent/rebellion, actually the Commander of the PNG Defence Force, accompanied by his staff, was in Manila on a trip sanctioned by the PNG government to establish a military relationship with the Philippines a month or so before the incident. Reportedly, it was noticed that he was intently reading books about the 1986 People Power Revolution during lulls in appointments with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (The Commander claimed at the Justice Andrew inquiry — convened in response to calls for an independent inquiry of how the contract to hire mercenaries to crush a local insurgency came about — that it was during the trip to Manila that his opposition to the Sandline mercenaries hardened and became a resolve to get rid of them.)
A hero to many, the idealistic officer and gentleman is now leading an active civilian life in Port Moresby.
(To be continued tomorrow)
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