Secretary Albert F. del Rosario. Photo by DFA
MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III on Monday ordered Foreign Affairs Secretary Del Rosario to find a replacement for Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady.
“The President has instructed the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to start the process of replacement for the good ambassador,” Del Rosario said in a text message to reporters.
According to del Rosario, Aquino made the order so that the ambassador “can improve her chances of full recovery.”
Del Rosario said that during his visit to Brady Sunday, he was told by doctors at a medical briefing that the ambassador’s condition had been regularly improving on a day to day basis and that at the rate by which she was progressing, she could go back to Manila “in about two weeks.”
Del Rosario said that Brady was given expert medical care at a good hospital in Beijing, and that her treatment was closely being monitored by the Chinese foreign ministry with care and concern.
“Let us pray for her early return to good health,” del Rosario said in the text message.
Meanwhile, in a separate radio interview, del Rosario said he would be sending his recommendations for the replacement to Aquino either Friday night or Saturday.
“These will all be career diplomats,” del Rosario said when asked about the prospective candidates.
Del Rosario, in the radio interview, also reiterated that the situation had no adverse effects at Manila’s efforts at finding solutions to its dispute with Beijing over some parts of the West Philippine Sea.
“We have a very good deputy chief of mission who is running the embassy there,” del Rosario said.
Brady, 71, was rushed to hospital after she passed out in her residence in Beijing last Wednesday. She earlier served as ambassador to China from 2006 to 2012.
Del Rosario, in the interview, also divulged some details about the meeting he had with Chinese counterpart Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing.
He said he and Yang had a “very positive meeting” as they they discussed “broad strokes” on the “need to find ways to be back on track in terms of the bilateral relations which we agreed to be moved forward.”
He said he asked Yang to come to the Philippines for a state visit, saying that he had been to China to visit Yang twice.
Del Rosario said that Yang had told him that he would look for a convenient date and that he would “try to see when he will be able to come.”
Del Rosario also said that based on a reconnaissance flight over Scarborough Shoal a week ago, the Chinese still had three maritime surveillance vessels outside the shoal.