PH known as bridge-builder, peace advocate during Macapagal presidency – PH ambassador
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Philippine Ambassador to Vienna Austria H.E. Evangelina Lourdes Arroyo-Bernas speaks at the 3rd President Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Lecture organized by the UST Asian Studies Program screen captured via Zoom Cloud Meeting
By Prince Ernest Eugene Ronson Sabado and Sean Matthew Parra
BEING A bridge-builder and a peace advocate through entering legal means to any conflict was former Philippine president Diosdado Macapagal's symbol in the country's foreign policy, a Philippine ambassador said.
"He (Diosdado Macapagal) was against any type of violent confrontation. He was able to respectfully communicate that he wasn't in agreement with the way they wanted to achieve prosperity in the country and violence was not a way… It was important to be able to be a player in the international arena and seen as a peace advocate, as a bridge-builder," Philippine Ambassador to Vienna, Austria H.E. Evangelina Lourdes Arroyo-Bernas said at a memorial lecture organized by the UST Asian Studies Society.
The ambassador, also Macapagal's granddaughter and daughter of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, stressed that Diosdado sustained a “very good relationship” with world leaders despite their ideological differences, notably during the rise of communism in Asia and the Philippines' territorial and domestic-based disputes.
In a separate lecture, UST Asian Studies professor Lino Baron noted that regional organizations such as MAPHILINDO (Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia) and ASA (Association of Southeast Asia) aimed to promote Southeast Asian regionalism but failed due to political motives and Southeast Asia's lack of strong commitment to regional organization.
A confederation premised on presumed ethnic identities, Baron said MAPHILINDO was realistically "politically-motivated," and its members were more interested in the development of the soon-to-be-formed Federation of Malaysia.
"Indonesia, led by their president Sukarno, and the Philippines, led by its president then Diosdado Macapagal, saw MAPHILINDO as a way to undermine the proposed Federation of Malaysia by superseding the latter while Malaya saw it a way to facilitate the federation’s acceptance by the others," Baron said.
"In this sense, MAPHILINDO hinged on the formation or non-formation of the Federation of Malaysia. Consequently, when the federation actually came to pass two months after the creation of the MAPHILINDO, the very next day, upon the orders of Philippine president Diosdado Macapagal, the Philippines severed relations with Malaysia," the professor added.
Baron said ASA was also handicapped by its limited membership, accusations of the organization being a Western-influenced anti-communist group, and the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Malaya over Manila's claim to Sabah.
Bernas echoed Macapagal administration's issue on Sabah which led to the demise of MAPHILINDO, but noted that the former president held on to his advocacy of pursuing a legal route and a non-violent approach in his relations with Malaysia.
"(The Sabah issue) did not stop him from having good personal relations with these different people. So that is an important part as well of diplomacy, you should be able to disagree but still have open communication lines," she said.
An independent foreign policy
Bernas said Macapagal has been consistent in pursuing an independent foreign policy, which she said has been rooted in his experience as a diplomat.
The ambassador shared that Macapagal felt that the Philippines, along with other emerging independent countries, were not being treated as an equal in her narratives on the United States' treatment of the Philippines on doing "certain things" and the United Kingdom's return of the Turtle Islands to the country.
As a response, Bernas said the Macapagal administration initiated several plans to solidify its independent foreign policy, including his visit to the African region for the recognition of South-South relations and his first foreign trip to Spain instead of the United States which was considered an escape to previous traditions.
UST Asian Studies and Senior High School instructor Tyrone Jann Nepomuceno added that Macapagal strived for a multifaceted approach to governance, encapsulated in the principles of nationalism, regionalism, and an independent foreign policy.
“He championed balancing competition with states or bandwagoning with them” he said.
Additionally, he added that Macapagal’s nationalism was encapsulated in the principle of an unfinished revolution and while the Philippines has achieved political independence — being the first in the region to declare independence — there are aspects of the revolution that are still incomplete. “We are the oldest republic in the region, we are the first to declare our independence in this continent, (but) it’s just political independence.”
Nepomuceno highlighted the idea that true independence and democracy in the Philippines should not merely be a matter of political sovereignty, but rather a comprehensive realization that extends to all segments of society. He added that true democracy must be felt not only by the “powerful” but also people from the periphery.
“We should be inspired by… Diosdado Macapagal and his brand of leadership that is Thomasian, Christian, and very Filipino,” he closed.
