Heads up – Embassy 35

Diaspora diplomat

Arriving in London is something of a homecoming for Enrique Manalo, the new Ambassador of the Philippines to the UK.

Married to an Englishwoman, he’s been a regular visitor to these shores – and with a consulate next door to the Embassy, the mission in Suffolk Place feels like a mini Manila.

Around a quarter of a million Filipinos now live and work in the UK – the largest diaspora community in Europe – and forging a stronger relationship with these communities is one of the Ambassador’s priorities.

“This is quite a recent phenomenon,” explains Manalo. “But the community is an asset to the Philippines – they have the potential to strengthen cultural and economic ties between the two countries and boost tourism so I’d like to develop that more strategically.”

Looking after the community is also an incentive to visit all parts of the UK, he adds. “We have a policy of consular outreach so we take a consular unit to the community.”

With around 10 per cent of the population working abroad, contributing some $17bn in remittances, migration issues are important to Philippine diplomacy and have formed a common thread throughout the Ambassador’s career.

Prior to this posting, Manalo had a brief stint as Ambassador to Brussels, where he was the core negotiator for a wide-ranging EU-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, a process which was launched during his time as Undersecretary for Policy (2007-2010). Migration was one of the toughest areas of the negotiations, which also covered trade, investment, market access, human rights, security issues and climate change.

The agreement was initialled last year and he hopes it will be signed next year. “But the EU is preoccupied right now and has a number of relatively new institutions. The one thing I learned during my time in Brussels is that one must be patient in the process of decision-making in the EU!”

Other recent postings include Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva (2003-07), where he devoted much of his time at the UN and the International Organisation for Migration, among others. He also chaired the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation and witnessed the laboured birth of the Human Rights Council, which was linked to the political work he was doing on UN reform in New York where he served as Deputy Permanent Representative in 2000-03.

The Philippines is always active in the multilateral sphere – whether it’s the UN, EU or ASEAN, says the Ambassador – and in London the IMO will be a focal point since almost 400,000 Filipino seafarers work on commercial shipping lines. Multilateral work is vital when there are Filipino communities across the globe that could be affected by political events, whether it’s the Arab Spring or piracy off the horn of Africa.

But the political atmosphere is changing on the home front which may tempt some of the diaspora community to invest in their homeland, says the Ambassador. With the election last year of President Benigno Aquino, son of the Philippines democratic revolution leader Corazon Aquino, the President wants to build on what his mother started.

“The President is determined to introduce good, transparent governance and eliminate corruption. The view is that this will open the doors to more foreign investment,” says the Ambassador.

“British companies are interested,” he continues, adding that two big UKTI missions have already visited the country this year. “Their focus is on the flagship public-private partnership projects which include big-ticket infrastructure projects. These are vital for a growing economy and for the tourist industry.”

More social investment is also planned, he adds, such as the building of schools and healthcare facilities – so that the widest proportion of the population can benefit.

On the peacemaking front, the new government is redoubling its efforts with the Moro-Islamic Liberation Front and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA). “The talks with MILF are now moving forward and we hope to sign a peace accord next year,” he says.

“There were recent events which led some people to think the peace process would be derailed, but the government is committed to finding an outcome which is acceptable to both sides. Like in many other peace processes – such as Northern Ireland – the closer you come to a solution, ‘spoilers’  intensify their efforts to derail the process.”

The UK has taken a particular interest in the peace process; it is a founding member of the international contact group which observes the negotiations. Some of the officials  involved in the Northern Ireland Peace Process have also visited the Philippines recently to share their experiences.

This is just one of the many areas where the UK and the Philippines are intensifying their partnership – from climate change to academic and cultural exchanges.

The UK has also identified the Philippines as one of its priority emerging markets, he adds. The reasons are obvious: the Philippines is culturally similar as an English-speaking, majority Christian country ideally located in East Asia.

It’s fair to say Ambassador Manalo has packed agenda. “Well it’s hard to get bored in London!” he smiles. Let’s hope he has time to enjoy his classical music and, of course, visit the in-laws.