The newest embassy in town restarts major diplomatic events in Manila after a two-year drought, no thanks to a pandemic
“I think the question is ‘Why only now?’ or ‘Why not earlier?” Ireland’s Ambassador William Carlos said as we sat under the shade at his residence’s lanai, discussing their embassy’s recent opening in Manila. It was two weeks before their national day celebration and the newest embassy in town was restarting major diplomatic events in Manila for 2022. It felt serendipitous that the restrictions have loosened up just in time.
Welcome, Ireland
On March 12, the Fort Santiago gate followed by the Rizal monument were lit in Ireland’s signature green. The practice, known all over the world as Global Greening, is part of the country’s efforts to raise awareness about Ireland’s national day in their host country. On the flip side, they also get to showcase national monuments all over the world to the Irish. This was the first time any Filipino monument was able to participate in the global campaign.
Five days later, exactly on St. Patrick’s day, the ambassador opened the doors to his home for the diplomatic corps and Irish nationals in the Philippines to celebrate their national day. It felt great to have in-person events again. Of course, masks were still worn and carefully taken off during speeches, photos, and to eat. For an evening, people got to safely celebrate and get even closer to living with the situation. He said that even if it took a while, he’s glad that they’re finally in Manila. “It’s part of our global footprint. We’re a small country and we feel we have to look outward.” Since 2014, Ireland has been in the process of opening up 25 new missions abroad by 2025. “The Philippines was a natural fit. We should have been here last year but Covid-19 delayed us. We had a lot of challenges, else we would’ve been here 20 years ago. It would have been an amazing journey.” The engagement between Ireland and the Philippines, however, has always been there.
At the heart of it are history and people-to-people relations. Both countries have a colonial past, have experienced conflict and the challenges of maintaining a peace process. Both also have a huge diaspora. Even our heroes who fought for sovereignty have similarities and connections. There are many parallels between our own Jose Rizal’s life with that of Ireland’s patriots who were executed during their country’s struggle for independence. Incidentally, Rizal’s wife—Josephine Bracken—is also Irish.
Education and harnessing a diaspora
While the two countries have their differences, similarities offer a lot of learning opportunities. There was a time Ireland deeply struggled. Following colonization, famine, mass emigration, and violence, there was a lot to work on. But in just a few decades, they were able to turn everything around, becoming one of the richest nations in the EU that’s known for the great quality of life it offers its people.
Ambassador Carlos says the answer lies in one thing: Education.
“We had to change our policies—outward-looking, attracting inward investment, and developing the country so that as the inward investment came in, we were ready,” he said. “We would have the quality education and the skills to attract investment in and let the Irish people do the jobs.”
“We transformed our policy and education was at the core of that. I was part of the first beneficiaries of that policy of free education,” the ambassador who has a Masters in economics shared. Nowadays, 85 percent of Irish people go to university, continuing the legacy of that policy to produce a highly-educated and highly-ambitious population.
I found another Ireland in the Philippines. — Ambassador William Carlos of Ireland
With education, changes for progress can also be implemented. In 1974, if Irish women got married, they had to leave their jobs. This greatly affected the ambassador’s family as his father died early. His mother had to get special permission to go back to work as a nurse. “Today, I look at my daughters who can be extremely ambitious and it really shows that the gender aspect is also important.”
Another thing the Irish have gotten really good at is harnessing their diaspora. “It’s phenomenal. In the UK alone, there are three million Irish passport holders,” the ambassador said. “We’ve also gotten strong politically abroad. Within 100 years of being in America, we had our first Irish-American president. Even the current president is an Irish American.”
The policy to support their diaspora came about in the ’70s, empowering Irish communities all over the world. “We’re very inclusive in bringing people in and our culture really helped.”
Looking ahead
Ambassador Carlos added that currently, trade between the Philippines and Ireland is at a billion Euros with 65 percent of it going to the Philippines. Of course, there’s always room for more as the two countries to work on investment opportunities. With 20,000 Filipinos in Ireland, cultural engagement is also going to be one of the priorities of the embassy along with pushing for issues that matter to them and to Filipinos. Climate change, gender equality, and migration. With what’s happening in the world right now, peace and security are also major concerns.
There’s a lot to be done and thankfully, they’re starting to get settled. Ambassador Carlos said Manila’s starting to feel homey despite the short time he’s been here. Strangers who talk and laugh with you, with whom you end up forming a connection with, is something that feels familiar to an Irishman. They are, after all, known for being affable. “It’s the merging of cultures—I found another Ireland in the Philippines.”