Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo is the "most undeserving to be removed" from his post in President Marcos' ongoing, mid-term Cabinet overhaul.
Thus, said Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who took up the cudgels for Manalo in a statement Wednesday, May 28.
“Among the Cabinet members replaced, he is the most undeserving to be removed, “ he said.
Rodriguez said Manalo “has led the DFA with a clear vision of our national interests and has been working hard to protect our sovereign rights under international law, specially for our West Philippine Sea (WPS)".
"He has worked well with Congress in supporting the bills on the Philippines Maritime Zone and our Archipelagic Sea Lanes,” said the lawyer-legislator.
The two bills are now laws, of which Rodriguez is a principal author.
The Mindanao lawmaker said Manalo has likewise “successfully engineered several security arrangements with like minded nations which observe the rule of international law".
“Being a career foreign service officer, he has led the DFA professionally with integrity and efficiency,” he said.
According to retained Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Manalo would be appointed as the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), a post the DFA chief held under the Duterte administration.
Bersamin said the President’s decision to return Manalo to the UN post was prompted by the desire of incumbent Permanent Representative Antonio Lagdameo Sr. to “retire” effective July 31 this year.
He said the foreign affairs secretary would be replaced by DFA Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.
Rodriguez said Manalo’s projected return to his old UN post would be a “demotion".
“He will be relegated to a lower rank, from DFA secretary to an ambassadorial position. If he accepted the UN assignment, administratively, he will be reporting to his new DFA boss, who is now one of his undersecretaries. I don’t think that is fair to Secretary Manalo,” he said.
Instead of transferring the DFA chief, Rodriguez suggested that President Marcos look for a career diplomat to replace Lagdameo Sr.
“The country’s representative to the UN is a plum post. Many senior career DFA personnel would surely aspire for that,” he said.