STRAIGHT FROM THE BIG CITY

Diplomatic mis-communication
Ike ‘Ka Iking’ Señeres

Since the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has already issued an official explanation about the reports that Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Susan Castrence was involved in a shoplifting incident, we should just put the matter to rest.

According to the DFA explanation, Ambassador Castrence was shopping for an extra Karaoke chip and had brought her old chip in her bag for comparison. She then compared the chip for sale with her sample and upon realizing that the two did not match, she returned the new chip in the shelves and put her sample back in her bag.
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Reportedly accosted by security guards upon her exit because she was supposedly observed by them on camera, she explained her actions and the issue should have ended right then and there. I do not know how this story ended up in the local press, but perhaps someone just wanted to report the story without checking the facts. The moral lesson here I think is that our diplomats abroad should be more careful about their personal actions, and in this case, Castrence should have first informed the store about her intentions, so that there would be no mis-communications of any kind.
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I know Castrence from way back; she was the Consul General in Washington, DC when I was the Press Attaché there. A very professional and capable diplomat, she does not fit the image of a shoplifter in the way that she was projected in the mass media. Some will remember her as the former DFA spokesman and head of the Press Office when she was assigned here. It is not far fetched that she might have made some enemies in the media when she handled that difficult job, and someone might just be getting back at her.
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At first I thought that the problem of helping Filipinos with cases abroad is purely legal, until my brother Ambassador Roy Seneres (Amba) explained to me that diplomatic solutions in relation with these cases are more effective than legal actions. Over the years, I noticed that the legal assistance provided by our embassies and consulates to Filipinos who are jailed abroad is very inconsistent, to say the least.

More often than not, we only hear about these cases when someone is already sentenced or hanged. As I reasoned with Amba that our legal assistance is weak because our foreign posts are not retaining lawyers, he reasoned back that the personal interventions of government officials back here or of those of our diplomats abroad are actually more effective.
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In the spirit of transparency in governance, the DFA should post the status of Filipinos abroad with cases, for everyone to know, specially the families and friends of these compatriots. In the spirit of cooperation, I am sure that many other people, Filipinos and foreigners alike might even find some ways to help out in these cases, if only they would know the status. As I know it now, the DFA has websites managed by their foreign posts, aside from their main website in the home office. Depending on what is appropriate, the information could be posted in any of these websites.
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On the practical side, I think that it would still be good for our foreign posts to retain local lawyers that could handle these cases on a sustained basis, instead of the rather arbitrary practice now of sending lawyers from over hear each time there is a case that is sensationalized in the local media. Sad to say, it seems that many Filipinos back here have gotten used to hearing about our compatriots getting beheaded abroad, as if it has become part of the routine gory news.
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The suggestion of Amba is both inspiring and surprising, because for some reason, we have forgotten that diplomacy could still work to save the lives of our compatriots, notably the kind of diplomacy that would tap personal linkages with top decision makers in the host countries where the cases will be decided. It is inspiring because it gives us new hope that more lives could still be saved if only the right buttons are pushed. It is surprising, because the diplomatic path is so obvious so much so that we should have “revisited” it a long time ago.
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The apparent inability of the DFA to post the status of Filipinos with cases shows a lack of communication on the part of the institution. Since this inability also breeds mis-communication among those who would not know how to react or respond to these problems, it is urgent on the part of the Department to cure this problem right away as soon as possible.
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