CA approves nomination, appointments of 61 DFA officials

The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday approved the nominations and ad interim appointments of 61 officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

During its plenary deliberations, the body approved the nominations of the following officials as ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary in various countries:

• Generoso Calonge (Republic of Iraq)
• Maria Theresa De Vega (Republic of Korea)
• Maria Lumen Isleta (Republic of Finland)
• Maria Elena Algabre (Republic of Turkey)
• Alan Daniega (People's Republic of Bangladesh)

The body also approved the ad interim appointments of 56 DFA officials to various positions.

Calonge, during the deliberation of his appointment, was asked about his thoughts on the reported presence of 220 Chinese militia vessels near Julian Felipe reef in the West Philippine Sea.

He said that if this report was "true, verified, and correct," this incursion of Chinese militia vessels is a violation of the country's sovereignty and thus, appropriate measures should be made.

"I understand that a protest has already been lodged, but I'm not sure if a protest is enough. I also understand from public media that our modernization of the armed forces is in full swing," Calonge said.

"I think, in my view, as a taxpayer, as an individual, not as a diplomat, I view incursions in our territory as violations of our sovereignty and those must be addressed appropriately," he added.

Calonge suggested that the country's armed forces be strengthen so that other nations who have claims over territories in the West Philippines will not take the Philippines "very lightly."

"I don't intend to defeat China, that's impossible. But I think if we can bloody them enough that they would hesitate to look at us in a condescending manner, we are capable of procuring the desired equipment," he said.

Calonge also proposed to continue the country's diplomatic engagements with other nations on the issue of the West Philippine Sea, although he believes that "diplomacy has a limit."

"When push comes to shove, I think it's sheer strength that will show. For example, Mischief Reef and the Scarborough Shoal are not with us anymore, and I think until we as a nation can recover those two features, we cannot restore the status quo ante. That's very sad for the republic," he said.

Over the weekend, the foreign affairs department filed a diplomatic protest against China over the militia vessels off the West Philippine Sea. — BM, GMA News