LAWMAKERS, a former defense chief and maritime and security experts hailed on Thursday the designation by President Marcos of Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., the country’s man in London, to a concurrent role as special envoy of the President to China on special concerns.
Two used the word “interesting” to characterize a decision seen as an effort to give Manila more flexibility in engaging its Asian neighbor and trade partner, with which tensions rose anew after a water cannon incident on August 5 involving the Chinese Coast Guard and a Philippine resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippine Navy’s sentinel in Ayungin Shoal.
Former Defense Secretary Orlando “Orly” Mercado, under whose term the Navy deliberately ran aground the Sierra Madre at Ayungin amid China’s “creeping invasion” in the Philippines’s exclusive economic zone, said that although he is not privy to the rationale for President Marcos Jr.’s appointment, he knew Locsin as a “very talented” mediator.
Karla Cruz, fellow of AIF International-Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Locsin is a good choice for Marcos Jr. to engage China.
“He’s good choice. I think he has the gravitas and the conviction to say what people don’t wanna say,” Cruz said.
The fellow of the US-based think tank thinks Locsin, as former foreign affairs secretary under the Duterte administration, “can unite the narrative” that China has been listening to from different actors in the Philippine government.
“Ang hirap kasi ang dami-daming opinyon, parang nagiging local issue. Parang nagiging local politics, eh [It’s hard when there are so many opinions and it starts sounding like a local issue. Like local politics], when in fact it’s a global geopolitical issue that affects so many people,” she added.
Cruz said Marcos Jr. should delineate the specific role of Locsin, vis-a-vis the role of Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Jaime FlorCruz.
Prof. Jay Batongbacal, maritime expert, believes Locsin has already established rapport with the Chinese Foreign Ministry officials when he was still the Philippine foreign minister.
Batongbacal doesn’t think that Locsin’s appointment will diminish the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Philippine ambassador to Beijing.
“He’s basically there as DFA. He is still the concurrent Ambassador to UK. So it’s just additional assignment,” the law professor of the University of the Philippines added.
No rabble-rousing, but reboot
House Deputy Majority Leader Ralph Recto noted that Locsin is the kind of diplomat known for delivering eloquent insults.
But, Recto added, “he will not be there to rabble-rouse, but to press the reboot button, so that the PH-China relations will pivot toward a mutually respecting phase.”
While Locsin “has the command of language that makes him our best weapon in a shouting war, the situation calls for no bullhorn diplomacy, but quiet labor that brings results,” is how Recto views Locsin’s unique extra assignment.
“But if need be, he [Locsin] can stare down China’s practitioners of wolf diplomacy.
For more than half a century, Teddy Locsin has articulated our dreams, chronicled our battles, and moved the nation with prose that inspires. In his newest mission for the Republic, there is no doubt that he can effectively champion our interest,” Recto added.
The chair of the Senate defense committee, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, remarked: “It’s an interesting move by the President, I must say, as it came on the heels of a series of disturbing incidents in the West Philippine Sea involving the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the Philippine Coast Guard.
Locsin Jr. “brings a wealth of experience, having previously served as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary and as the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations,” said Estrada.
“As an experienced diplomat and skilled communicator, his deep understanding of diplomatic protocol, international relations, and the nuances of various issues will enable him to engage with China on a wide range of concerns. Clear communication is crucial for building mutual understanding and finding common ground.”
Estrada praised Marcos for his decision, saying it proved his sincerity when he said he will respond to the territorial rows with China through diplomatic negotiations and affirming the country’s “friend to all and an enemy to none” foreign policy.
“The success of Locsin’s role as a special envoy will depend on his ability to navigate the intricacies of international diplomacy, communicate effectively, and foster a productive atmosphere for a dialogue between the two countries. Observers will be keenly watching how he will handle the complexities of his role and whether this will lead to positive developments insofar as our country’s relations with China is concerned,” added Estrada.
Malacañang’s designation of the Philippine ambassador to the United Kingdom Teodoro Locsin Jr. was billed by another senator and a think tank analyst as “an impressive and interesting choice,” and one that hopefully would bolster the country’s efforts in engaging China amid fresh tensions over its aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
“He is an adroit diplomat and skilled leader, unafraid to go to whatever lengths necessary for the best interest of the Filipinos,” said Sen. Grace Poe in a statement.
“We hope he can help the country navigate through the rough waters of the West Philippine Sea to defend and protect what belongs to us,” she added.
A similar hope was expressed late Wednesday by Prof. Dindo Manhit of Stratbase in an interview with CNN Philippines’s Pia Hontiveros.
Both Manhit and Hontiveros noted Locsin’s reputation in handling sticky situations with China when he was DFA secretary during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte.
Manhit expressed confidence he would be good for negotiations moving forward amid China’s insistence that Manila make good on a supposed promise to remove the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal, within the Philippines’s EEZ.
The Presidential Communication Office (PCO) announced on Wednesday the new appointment of Locsin, who is currently serving as the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“He [Locsin] is in a concurrent capacity,” PCO Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil told reporters in a Viber message, referring to Locsin’s dual roles as the President’s envoy to China for “special concerns” and his post in London.
During Locsin’s term as DFA chief of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the country terminated its joint oil and gas exploration talks with China due to constitutional issues of such collaboration.
While he led DFA, Locsin stressed the country did not surrender a single inch of its territory to China since every intrusion by Chinese forces within Philippine territory was met with protest.
However, Locsin was known to have earned a healthy respect from his counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with both sides praising each other amid tough discussions.
Image credits: AP/Olivier Matthys