The DFA official said the meeting was cleared by the "appropriate authorities.’" However, he did not say who the appropriate authorities were.

I find that strange. To begin with, why does the DFA always sound like an apologist for the Americans? Is that part of its brief under the Arroyo regime?

In any case, this high-ranking DFA official should know that as far as diplomatic practice goes, the only "appropriate" authority with whom foreign diplomats should deal is the foreign office of their host government. This is especially true when it comes to sensitive issues involving national sovereignty. It was evident from the start that Kenney never sought clearance from the DFA.

I’d like to know if the DFA asked Kenney for a briefing on what she discussed with Murad. It should. We have a right to know. It would be foolish on the part of Kenney to refuse briefing the DFA on the ground that the meeting with Murad was private. As I said, nothing she does in this country is private, except what she does in the privacy of her boudoir.

Which reminds me, the reports on her talks with Murad made no mention of our military authorities providing security for her and her party. (The reports said she was accompanied by American security personnel.) She ventured into hostile territory where our own officials fear to tread. If anything untoward had happened to her, there would have been no escaping responsibility on our part.

But obviously Kenney knew that nothing would happen to her and her entourage. How? Why?

And what are the Americans really up to in Mindanao where Kenney has been spending what appears to be an inordinate amount of her time?

Your move, Secretary Romulo.

***

US Secretary of State Condo-leezza Rice expressed deep regret over the alleged rape of a 14-year old Japanese girl by a US Marine in Okinawa.

What about the incident of a Filipino woman allegedly having been raped by a US Marine in the same Japanese island?

Rice didn’t think it deserved an expression of regret?

That’s what I mean when I say the Americans take us for granted and do not think we are worthy of respect.

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The US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates last week went to Indonesia and India reportedly offering both countries assistance in modernizing their respective armed forces.

I’d like to know what the status is of the US pledge made a while back to help modernize our armed forces. One could tell even from a distance that not much has happened so far. And we are supposed to be the Americans’ closest ally in these parts?

The Bush administration even cut to half the proposed Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for the Philippines – from $30 million in FY 2008 to $15 million in FY 2009. FMF is supposed to contribute to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Defense Reform Initiative.

Could it be that Washington is already too disenchanted with Ms. Gloria Arroyo? Draw your own conclusions.

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The hopes of the demoralized majority of the DFA personnel must have gone a notch higher when the new set of officers of the Union of Foreign Service Officers (UNIFORS) were inducted into office recently. Or have they?

An officer by the name of Patricia Ann Paes was assigned to the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC in June 1999. She is still there. Under the rules, DFA personnel are assigned abroad for six years and then serve in the Home Office for at least two years before the next posting.

But Paes is something else. Instead of being recalled for home assignment after nearly nine years abroad, she is being transferred to the Philippine consulate general in Osaka, Japan, another plum post. What a travesty! That’s like adding insult to injury to those who have to virtually fight tooth and nail to get a foreign assignment.

What is so special about Paes? DFA insiders say she is very close to the illegitimate occupant of Malacañang. She must be. Only the latter is truly in a position to flout in such a brazen manner rules not only in the DFA, but also in all other government agencies.

Let us see what UNIFORS does about Paes’ case. Forget about Romulo. He is too feeble to stand up to his Garci-installed boss mainly because of his preoccupation with keeping his job.

Incidentally, what is a daughter of Romulo doing in his office? Leaves a bad taste in the mouth. No wonder his chief coordinator had no qualms about doing favors for her brother and having her two nephews appointed by him.

***

There are 40 career officers in the DFA who have attained the rank of chief of mission after years of continued and dedicated service. As such, they are eligible for appointment as ambassadors to foreign countries. With some exceptions, they fully deserve to be given the privilege of serving in that capacity.

However, because of the number of political appointees and overstaying ambassadors abroad, many of them may no longer have that chance due to approaching retirement age.

Following are the present political appointees, some of whom have been in their posts for more than six years:

Masaranga Umpa (Abuja); Rigoberto Tiglao (Athens); Alejandro del Rosario (Budapest); Ernesto de Leon (Canberra); Vidal Querol (Jakarta); Ramoncito Marino (Koror); Edgardo Espiritu (London); Joseph Bernardo (Madrid); Antonio Lagdameo (Mexico); Acmad Omar (Muscat); Jose Brillantes (Ottawa); Hermoso Belarmino (Port Moresby); Carmelita Salas (Prague); Phillippe Lhuillier (Rome); Consuelo Puyat Reyes (Santiago); Bienvenido Tejano (Wellington); and Noel Cabrera (Yangon).

Noe Wong is enroute to a Southeast Asian country, while Cristina Ponce-Enrile has reportedly been appointed to go to the Holy See.

Bucharest and New Delhi are vacant. I wouldn’t be surprised if they too are filled with political carpetbaggers.

The following are career officers who are serving way beyond the retirement age of 65:

Delia Domingo-Albert (Berlin); Romeo Arguelles (The Hague); Domingo Siazon Jr. (Tokyo); and Antonio Villamor (Riyadh).

All of the above-mentioned posts number 28. That’s nearly fifty percent of all our embassies abroad!

***

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in its recent pastoral letter: "We are convinced that the search for truth in the midst of charges and allegations must be determined and relentless, and that the way to truth and integrity must be untrammeled, especially at the present time when questions about the moral ascendancy of the present government are being put in question."

Towards this end, the CBCP urged Ms. Arroyo to rescind Executive Order 464 which bans government officials from testifying at congressional hearings without her permission.

I wonder what the CBCP will do if and when she fails to lift that executive order within a reasonable time. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

***

In a press statement, ZTE expressed confidence that "the ongoing judicial and impartial investigation would eventually vindicate its good name and reputation."

As everyone knows, the separate investigations on the odious ZTE-NBN deal being conducted by the Justice Department of Raul Gonzales and by the Ombudsman, respectively, cannot possibly be impartial.

As I said in an earlier column, ZTE should just file its own complaint to force the issue. And the Chinese Government, being part owner of ZTE, should conduct its own investigation in the interest of preserving the good bilateral relations between our two countries.

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Today is the 312th day of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance.

At the last hearing of the Court of Appeals (CA), Mrs. Edita Burgos, Jonas’ mother, presented a Philippine Army confidential report proving that her son had been in the order of battle of the military since March 2007.

The CA has been conducting hearings on Mrs. Burgos’ petition for a writ of Amparo to force the military authorities to reveal what they know about Jonas’ disappearance.

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