Stepping into the global arena

President Marcos Jr. has undertaken his first state visits, initially to Indonesia, and later to Singapore, from Sept. 4-7.

As the “chief architect” of Philippine foreign policy, the President is considered the country’s top diplomat. To carry out that role and responsibility, it is vital that the President visits and receives his foreign counterparts, and be involved in various summits. It is part of his mandate and duty to advance and protect our national interests in the international arena.

Aside from promoting the welfare of millions of Filipinos working on foreign shores, the government also needs to advance our economy that is extensively connected to the global economy. While the President may, at times, be personally represented by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs or ambassadors assigned to various embassies around the world, there will be instances when his presence becomes necessary or is more effective. For one, it would signal a stronger commitment or weigh more heavily in a foreign country’s consideration should a request be made by a president rather than just a Cabinet official or ambassador.

The effort made by the highest official of the land to visit another country is a clear manifestation to that country’s government of the importance placed in the relationship of both states. As is often said when it comes to diplomacy, form is just as important as substance. The former is projected and shaped by the various protocols put in place whenever world leaders meet each other at international summits. The details are myriad and need to be precise, as a blunder may be perceived as an insult, or negate the benefits sought to be achieved by the visit.

Furthermore, personal diplomacy and face-to-face contacts between leaders bring added value, which cannot be achieved in a virtual setting. As United Nations Secretary General Antonío Guterres noted during a press conference on June 25, 2020, “Nothing replaces personal diplomacy with human contact … that can generate empathy, consensus, a common feeling to work together, (and) address the dramatic challenges that we face.”

The first two state visits of Mr. Marcos will definitely be followed by others. The choice of the first countries to be visited is important, and the Palace has followed the customary practice of visiting an Asean member-country first. Indonesia and Singapore are good candidates because our strong and friendly ties with both countries provide good prospects for a productive visit.

Next on the list of such visits is the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 20, where the President is reported to be heading the Philippine delegation. The dynamics for this type of visit are different from bilateral ones, but this is not to say that it is less important. The UN, and other multilateral fora such as the Asean summits, the World Economic Forum, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, are venues where world leaders discuss global issues, a number of which impact the Philippines. Our country’s voice also needs to be heard in these gatherings so we can push for our interests. Such representation becomes more relevant and impactful when carried out by the President.

The President has likewise been invited by the United States and China. Unlike Indonesia and Singapore, visiting these two economic giants will be more challenging. Against the backdrop of the great power rivalry between them, our top diplomat will need to clearly articulate our positions and uphold our interests in relation to what the US and China, respectively, expect from the Philippines on a number of contentious issues, particularly those pertaining to regional security. Both will do what they can to make the Philippines choose a side, and the President needs to effectively manage and navigate such pressure.

The visits to Indonesia and Singapore will serve as a good warmup to the bigger challenges that lie ahead for Philippine foreign relations, and its chief architect.

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Moira G. Gallaga served three Philippine presidents as presidential protocol officer, and was posted as a diplomat at the Philippine consulate general in Los Angeles and the Philippine Embassy in Washington.