PEACE-MAKER
The coronation of King Charles III on May 6 is a historic moment in British history. It marks the beginning of a new era for the United Kingdom and the first coronation to take place in the 21st century.
The 74-year-old King ascended the British throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September last year and took the name Charles III. He is the oldest, at 73, to become monarch in British history and the first king since 1952.
The coronation of King Charles III will take place at Westminster Abbey in London, where his mother was crowned more than 60 years ago.
Historians point out that it is not necessary for the monarch to be crowned to become King, as Charles automatically became King when Queen Elizabeth II died. They cited Edward VIII, who reigned without a coronation.
Then Prince Charles visited Manila in July 1997, where he was received by the President Fidel V. Ramos in Malacañang.
London was home to us in the early 1980s, when we were a pioneering businessman overseeing our Filipino-led projects in the Middle East and North Africa.
At the time, we were prime contractor operating the Saudi Arabia Port of Jeddah on the Red Sea and the Port of Jubail on the Persian Gulf; building mass housing in Kuwait and in the United Arab Emirates, highways in Iraq, and modest agriculture projects in Libya.
We coordinated these business ventures from our office in the British capital while travelling to the various Arab cities every month.
It has been some 40 years when we left London and moved back to Manila. Since then, we have been flying to the British capital during our modest foray into parliamentary and political party diplomacy as then Speaker of the House and as Founder and Chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties.
The last time we travelled to London was in May 2018 when we addressed the second meeting of leaders of parliaments and political parties from Asia and Europe, under the Asia-Europe Political Forum (AEPF), a subsidiary group of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), which convenes once a year.
At the London conference, we agreed that Asia and Europe “represent economic and industrial strength and diversity, share economic goals for our people, and could work together to address regional and global challenges.”
On regional cooperation and political connectivity, we encouraged “collaboration between the countries of Asia and Europe to deepen links across a wide range of sectors, from energy and communications, to education and transport. Connecting people, businesses, and communities is vital in enhancing stability and security, developing economies, creating opportunities, reducing inequality and poverty, and promoting greater understanding and tolerance.”
On another note, we are pleased that our good friend Teodoro Locsin Jr. is the current Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
He previously served as ambassador to the United Nations and then Secretary of Foreign Affairs during the Duterte administration. He earlier served in the House of Representatives for three terms, representing the first district of Makati.
Ambassador Locsin brings to his new post his brilliance, eloquence, and wealth of experience as diplomat, lawmaker, lawyer, writer, and editor.