DFA, FSI, Anvil Launch “Frontlines of Diplomacy” Book

“Frontlines of Diplomacy: Conversations with Philippine Ambassadors,” a book on contemporary Philippine diplomacy and foreign policy was launched at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) Library of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on June 30

The launch was co-sponsored by the DFA, the FSI and Anvil Publications.

Present during the ceremonies were Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, FSI Director Laura Q. Del Rosario, Anvil Publications General Manager Karina A. Bolasco, Philippine Ambassador’s Foundation Inc. President Ambassador Jose Macario Laurel IV, DFA Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs J. Eduardo Malaya, the ambassador-interviewees, and their interviewers.

In his remarks, Secretary Del Rosario lauded the book, which he found to be “educational and informative”, and related his experience as former Philippine Ambassador to the United States.

“Diplomacy is about personal relationships.  It’s about being sincere, presenting yourself sincerely, in a dedicated and professional fashion.  That was my definition of diplomacy and this is the manifestation on some of the stories I read in the book,” he said.

For her part, Ms. Bolasco stated that the book is probably the only one of its kind in the market today that an average person will want to read.

“It is not immersed in foreign policy and international relations jargon, but rather are first-person accounts of those involved, whether as actors or eyewitnesses, in essentially the making of a nation’s political and diplomatic history,” she said.

The book features interviews of 37 retired and serving ambassadors and three diplomatic spouses conducted by young foreign service officers (FSOs) for their cadetship project, and edited by DFA Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs J. Eduardo Malaya.

The book chronicles the experiences, triumphs and occasional frustrations of Philippine diplomats through the years. Through extended interviews, it covers the depth and breadth of the Philippine diplomatic experience, revealing a number of incidents on crucial moments in contemporary Philippine history, some of which are discussed in public for the first time.

Also featured are interviews of diplomatic spouses, who provided a human face of diplomacy- that diplomats are also spouses and parents, how they adjust to their posts of assignment and how they have a very significant role in making our brand of diplomacy truly Filipino.

Among the ambassadors interviewed were former Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo L. Siazon, Jr., Lauro Baja, Jr., Rodolfo Severino, Jr., Rafael Seguis, Alfonso Yuchengco, Henrietta de Villa, Reynaldo Arcilla, and Jose Zaide.