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Separating the issue from the person
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NEW YORK --- As expected, the $10,000 a month rent of Consul General Cecilia B. Rebong's apartment at Trump World Tower is drawing attention from both sides of the issue: those who support the $10,000 rental and those who don't. Not surprisingly, there are also those who add another dimension into this and that is, the consul general as a person.
I am a simple person with a simple mindset. But there are people who have a complicated mindset that cannot divorce an issue from a person. And that is why they rush into thinking that this episode about the consul general is an affront to her. That is not the case.
I have known the consul general from her days at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations to the day she became what she is now. I can say with candor that she is a simple person who can be a friend to many people. She takes pride in the achievements of people and she is not shy in showing her approval of them. I know she is dedicated to her work and demands the same from her staff through her encouragement.
That describes the consul general as a person. And that is how some people feel and see about her – the person, which perhaps most people would agree to. But let's separate the husk from the grain.
The contention at the moment, which is the issue: Is her choice of the $10,000 apartment and the approval of her request by the Department of Foreign Affairs. That is the thought process of simple people, which complicated folks cannot easily grasp nor comprehend. They go about town harping that anyone who questions the $10,000 rental is anti-Rebong.
But they are like horses with their blinders on; they cannot see the overall picture nor can they distinguish the trees from the forest. And yet in the end, we find that these are the same people who are out asking for favors from the consul general and are merely brown-nosing. Nagpapalakas or sipsip as some people call it? Or isn't that corruption?
I have friends who told me that some people were asked to show their loyalty and support to the consul general by including their name in a letter they would be circulating. They may be supporting the person but unconsciously, they are putting more fire on a burning issue. And that doesn't lead to an easy way out for Rebong.
To put this issue to rest is for the consul general to leave her condo as soon as she could and go back to her Staten Island house. After all, she won't be breaking a lease contract, if Consul Badajos was correct. At a meeting on June 12, Badajos said that one of the clauses in a lease contract is a diplomat's provision that guarantees her to leave anytime.
The best alternative for her is to face the music. While the townhouse on 66th Street is being renovated she can move to Dongan Hills in Staten Island. Anyway, she is entitled to a driver and therefore the 45-minute commute would not be a problem. For official functions, she can and must use the Philippine Center, which is intended for such purposes.
The Philippine Center is the best place to showcase our country to prospective investors. They can see, feel and have a taste of Philippine flavor from its very source; not in some plush two-bedroom apartment. If investors need to know anything about our country, everything is in the Center.
With one call, the consul general can easily reach the officials of the various offices that are housed there such as the trade representative and the tourism director: two important officers in promoting the Philippines. They can meet at the Board Room, which is complete with all the facilities required for serious discussion or even friendly chit-chat.
If cocktails were planned, she can either use the Kalayaan Hall or the main lobby, which regularly hosts art works of our own artists. The consul general can also use the Kalayaan Hall for presentations to a larger audience.
So you ask: Is there any need for her to rent a $10,000 condo? It is like investing in a white elephant since the place would rarely be used for "investment promotion" purposes to benefit our homeland, which is gasping for funds. How often does she or would she have functions for investors?
With her hectic schedule, I guess the only time she uses the apartment is when she sleeps – an average of six hours a day, perhaps? And I'm sure it's empty during daytime. If one were to compute a return on investment for the place, the results would probably not even reach breaking point.
You see, if the place wasn't her personal choice, I'm sure the head office would have not approved her request. And that's the issue, which I and the rest of the people who find the $10,000 a month rent as lavish spending.
That's clearly separating the issue from the person.
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