BELOW THE LINE
By AMBASSADOR JOSE ABETO ZAIDE
Ambassador José Abeto Zaide
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is one of the enduring and endearing arms of Philippine government service.
Despite their small numbers and finite resources, our DFA and Foreign Service Officers render assistance to Filipino nationals in the four corners of the globe, in addition to conventional duties like what foreign services of other countries provide their nationals.
Our Filipino diplomats give exceptional service to Filipinos abroad. DFA is one of the most creative extensions of government, because it is not always adequately funded. It sometimes comes closest to creating, if by that you mean to make something out of (almost) nothing.
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The following is an unexpurgated first-person account by one of our distinguished officers and role models, the now retired Ambassador Juan Ona. I yield my space to Johnny and reproduce verbatim his narration of his assistance to nationals as a Foreign Service Officer of the Republic of the Philippines following the old maxim, “Better to marry than to burn.” Thus spake Johnny:“The 1952 Revised Regulations of the Foreign Service provides that a consular officer may officiate at a marriage if both contracting parties are Filipinos.
“Upon arrival as vice consul in Hong Kong, I found that in the recorded memory of the staff, no marriage had taken place at the Consulate General.
“I inquired from the local authorities whether they would recognize the marriage of Filipino citizens performed at the Consulate General.
“On 29 June 1970, the Registrar General of Hong Kong replied:
“a) Government in Hong Kong will recognize a marriage which is valid according to the law of domicile of the parties at the time the marriage was contracted; and so a marriage which is solemnized by a consular officer on consulate premises will be recognized, if it is valid according to the law of that particular country;
“b) There is no law which would prohibit such a marriage in Hong Kong.’
“Because of my initiative in establishing or re-establishing consular marriages in Hong Kong, Consul General Rafael Gonzales assigned me to officiate in such marriages. During my short stint of one year and five months in Hong Kong, I officiated at seven marriages there.”
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Consul Ona would minister to happy unions even on his cross-posting. He continues his narrative:“A year later, I had barely arrived in London as consul when Consul Lauro Baja, whom I was replacing and was winding up his affairs there, referred an interesting case to me. Justice Felix Angelo Bautista, a retiree from the Supreme Court at the age of 75, was in London on a world tour with his 29-year-old secretary Florencia S. de Leon, who was chaperoned by her auntie Rosario.
“When they visited the embassy, Larry made them feel at home, so much so that Larry playfully teased them to get married. When the conversation turned serious, Larry advised them to see me.
“Since they were obviously Filipinos and of age, I asked if they were serious in getting married, and whether they had thought about it at all, especially during a retirement tour abroad. They responded that they were serious.
“Upon my instructions, they filled up an application for a marriage license. On 1 September 1971, I informed them that marriage license No. 1/71 was ready.
“They came at once. I officiated at the marriage ceremony between widower Felix A. Bautista of Dasmariñas Village, Makati, and Florencia S. de Leon, single, of Gelinos St., Sampaloc, Manila.
“Ambassador Jaime Zobel de Ayala popped a bottle of champagne. We toasted to the health and happiness of the couple and made merry. Justice Bautista was visibly elated and full of vim and vigor.
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“The next day, I saw Florencia at the desk of Larry. I asked Larry what they talked about. The mischievous Larry laughed, and said she was disappointed. I did not ask him to elaborate. (Hahaha!)“A few weeks later, DFA Assistant Secretary for Administration Monico Vicente wrote a personal letter to me, asking information on the marriage.
“Sensing that there could be some problem with Justice Bautista’s children by his first marriage and that I could be caught in the middle of legal tangles so dear to our lawyers, I did not respond.
“I would not cooperate. Let Monico do his own research! And let Justice Bautista fend for himself!” (Aside: That was the resolute counsel of the good Consul Ona to himself.)
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PART 2: A wise man said that Prudence is the better half of valor: Fast-forward to nearly two decades after, Ambassador Ona continues his first person unexpurgated narrative…“The affair was always at the back of my mind. Nearly 20 years later, I read an obituary in the 14 April 1990 issue of the Manila Bulletin: Justice Bautista passed away on 12 April 1990 at the age of 93. In the obituary were the names of ‘His bereaved wife Florencia de Leon ’, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
“I heaved a sigh of relief! Ende gut, alles gut! (Shakespeare’s ‘All’s well, that ends well’ translated into German.)”
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Further affiant sayeth naught.FEEDBACK: [email protected]