Pres. Arroyo cannot accuse the good diplomat of incompetence. During his five-year stint in Washington, the dollar spending of the U.S. for the Philippines has increased. The Fil-Am World War II vets have gotten something they didn’t get before. He has tirelessly campaigned for increased remittances to the Philippines with results to show. He initiated the ambassador’s tour bringing hundreds of vacationing Pinoys to spend their dollars in their cash-starve native land. He put up a credible face on behalf of an administration that has been battered from the left, right, above and below.

So why, oh why was he recalled?

My unreliable source say that Pres. Gloria Arroyo wanted another photo-op with Pres. George W. Bush but when the Ambassador dialed the White House, he always got a busy line.  The lady president could not understand why the Americans expressed displeasure over the withdrawal of the token Philippine contingent in Iraq. She wanted her Ambassador to assure Pres. G. W. Bush that the Pinoy soldiers were actually replaced by brave Ilocanos, Bisayans, Tagalogs and Waray-Warays in another uniform but the Americans did not want to count the TNTs in Iraq. Or perhaps she thought that the Ambassador has miserably failed in convincing the world that there is no more corruption in the Philippines and that poverty is a thing of the past.

Whatever the real reason is, Malacanang wanted to put up a good face for the Ambassador’s exit. If the real reason is indefensible, embarrassing, outrageous or plain silly, I can understand why they would keep it under wraps.

At least the Ambassador’s pain was mitigated at the farewell party tendered by the Fil-Am community in D.C.  That was a send-off that tops all others. It was a great measure of how the Ambassador and his wife, Gretchen, earned the respect and admiration of the community. This diplomat exudes the dignity of his office, commands the respect of his peers and appears driven by his patriotic fervor. The Pinoys in D.C. saw the real thing and they liked it.

After being kicked from behind by the Arroyo administration, the good ambassador showed no rancor. He asked the Fil-Am community to support the Arroyo administration, saying that it is still the right vehicle that can address the problems of the country. I assume that those words were not because he loved Arroyo, but that he loved the Philippines more. He cast aside personal issues over what he thought was the greater good. Not many can think that way.

The outgoing ambassador says that  his replacement should be prepared to go broke. “If you are not broke, you must be doing something funny.” With a limited budget for receptions, social representations and other functions, the  Ambassador is forced to dip into his pocket to maintain a modicum of respectability in a status conscious city. I feel a little guilty for the Ambassador going broke. I have attended several receptions at the Embassy and consumed several platefuls of pancit, adobo and egg rolls at the Ambassador’s expense. My wish for the next Ambassador, please serve lechon. If you get broke, that’s not my problem.

When the Ambassador arrives in Manila as a private citizen, he will likely receive a plaque of appreciation from Pres. Arroyo. Then he will go home and hang it in his garage for dart practice.