RECENTLY appointed Philippine Consul-General Bayani Mangibin talked about maximizing commonalities for stability and prosperity as well as the shared history of Guam and the Philippines in his presentation at the Rotary Club of Guam luncheon at the Marriott Hotel yesterday.
“Common history, geographic proximity and similarity of culture molded together in shaping Guam’s demography where the population of Filipinos and Filipino descents share a substantial part,” Mangibin said.
With a hint of nostalgia in his voice, Mangibin also recounted how his involvement with the Rotary Club back in high school helped him acquire leadership skills and learn about individual responsibilities, hard work, international goodwill, and understanding.
He said the present Rotary Club in Guam was born out of the collaboration between Philippine statesman and past Rotary International Vice President Carlos P. Romulo and Jose M. Flores and C.C. Butler, two prominent Guam businessmen.
“On the part of the Philippine Consulate-General, we are committed to take full advantage of these shared commonalities with a vision towards a future of stability and prosperity for both the Philippines and Guam,” Mangibin expressed.
He emphasized this vision of partnership guides the Philippine Consulate-General in promoting the three pillars of Philippine foreign policy – national security, economic diplomacy, and the rights and welfare of Filipinos.
Collaboration
This year marks the establishment of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), according to Mangibin. The intent of POLO is to further strengthen the promotion of the welfare of Filipino workers as well as build closer relations with Guam.
Mangibin also announced a grassroots diplomacy program that the consulate initiated this year, a “people-to-people partnership program, which will directly connect the community with local providers of services and other forms of assistance."
In terms of establishing community connections, he said the consulate recently met with the Mayors' Council of Guam to discuss mutual advocacies they can jointly pursue to help the community.
The Philippine consulate, according to Mangibin, will help intensify areas of cooperation between the Mayors' Council of Guam and local government units in the Philippines by facilitating sister city relationship and friendship affiliations between the two groups.
The consulate will also reach out to civil society, media, academic and businesses communities on Guam with the hope of “linking them up with their respective counterparts in the Philippines.”
Economy
With the military buildup on Guam, he is hoping Filipino workers will be given the opportunity to contribute to the development of the island.
“We hope that with the Filipinos’ competence in work, caring attitude and communication skills, plus the fact that the Philippines is a non-NATO strategic ally of the United States, the more secured and security-conscious Filipino workers will be the foreign workers of choice in the military buildup on Guam,” Mangibin emphasized.
In terms of trade cooperation, he said he is hoping to surpass what was achieved in 2008, when Philippine-Guam export and import trade activities were valued at $42 million.
Mangibin added that before assuming his post to Guam, he has been in contact with several businessmen from the Philippines to encourage them to increase their trade and investment activities on Guam
Consulate in CNMI
Despite the impending closure of the Philippine consulate in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands this coming October, Mangibin feels confident they will be able to provide ample assistance via quarterly visits to the island.
The need to maximize limited resources necessitated the merging of operations of both consulates in Guam, according to Mangibin.
Aside from the quarterly visits, Mangibin will explore the use of teleconferencing and other tools to communicate with the Filipino community in Saipan. In addition, he said there will be times when the consulate staff will be traveling to Saipan outside of their quarterly schedule to provide assistance in emergency cases.
