Origins of DFA’s three pillars of foreign policy

The motto “three pillars of Philippine foreign policy” is frequently cited by the officers and personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the foreign service as if it is part of their collective DNA. All recent secretaries of foreign affairs have also made policy pronouncements underscoring this theme.

When I was proposed to be designated as DFA spokesman 17 years ago, I was hesitant to take on the job as I had no experience in public communications. I sought out the outgoing spokesman, Gilberto Asuque, a TV news anchor before he joined the DFA, who said that I could do the job as I was also a lawyer. Besides, he said, most of the questions that would be asked could be answered by relating these to one of the three pillars of foreign policy, for instance, those pertaining to the West Philippine Sea issue, trade access, or overseas Filipino workers in distress. I eventually took on the challenge and hopefully did all right.

An interesting question is under which presidential administration and DFA leadership this now ubiquitous policy was first articulated? This was raised during the passing of former president Fidel V. Ramos in July last year. Having served on detail in Malacañang as a middle-level officer for three and a half years, I could only hazard a “maybe’’ when I was asked by a reporter.

After researching the matter, I came across an address by former foreign secretary Domingo L. Siazon Jr. before the Philippine Ambassadors Association in December 1995, where he said: “Taking into full account the constant interaction between external and internal factors in the pursuit, protection, and promotion of national interests, I have zeroed in on three key areas in the course of implementing Philippine foreign policy. These are: 1) the strengthening of our national security; 2) promotion of economic policy, and 3) protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare of Filipino overseas.”

It may be noted that the pursuit of national security and economic interests are staples in Philippine diplomatic work through the decades—and of all foreign ministries generally. What was novel was the third element.

The inclusion of overseas nationals’ concerns was a necessary measure in light of the Flor Contemplacion case midway through the Ramos term. Contemplacion, a Filipino domestic worker, was convicted and hanged in Singapore for the murder of another Filipino domestic worker and the former’s four-year-old ward. Ramos paid a high political price for it as the execution took place just before the 1995 congressional elections amidst allegations of neglect to render assistance by embassy officials.

Ramos thereafter pushed for the enactment of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, which reorientated the mission of the Department of Labor and Employment and the DFA, establishing in the latter a focal office headed by an undersecretary and designating an assistance-to-nationals officer at each embassy and consulate. The administration recovered from the Contemplacion debacle and accomplished numerous reform programs.

Toward the end of Ramos’ term, Siazon delivered a report on the foreign affairs accomplishments of the administration at a public lecture hosted by the University of Philippines. He said: “In the case of the Ramos presidency, foreign policy objectives evolved and were articulated in a series of policy statements and presidential directives. Four major foreign policy objectives were developed. These are (1) safeguarding the nation’s security, (2) advancing Philippine economic and social development, (3) assisting Filipino national overseas, and (4) projecting a positive and accurate image of the Philippines abroad.”

A fourth element was added to the original three. Siazon explained that “this media-based strategy is also part of our economic diplomacy. By convincing opinion leaders that the Philippines is a stable and investment-friendly site, the government is able to fan out messages to a larger, wider public.”

With the passage of time, the four-element formulation reverted to three under succeeding presidential administrations, with the image-building component dropped. Having good perception by others of the country is beneficial, but image-building ought not to be a primary goal but hopefully an authentic reflection of a country’s progressive development.

Ramos and Siazon thus turned a crisis into an opportunity to reorient foreign policy for the future, leading decades later to the newly established Department of Migrant Workers. It was left to their successors to christen the paradigm shift as the “three pillars of foreign policy,” which have served well to this day as the guiding principles in Philippine diplomacy.

As the department marks its 125th anniversary on June 23, we wish Secretary Enrique Manalo and the men and women who serve at the country’s first line of defense a meaningful DFA Day.

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J. Eduardo Malaya is Philippine ambassador to the Netherlands and editor of “Philippine Treaties in Force 2020” and “Frontlines of Diplomacy: Conversations with Philippine Ambassadors.”