THE Philippines and Colombia share the same tropical latitude, and their citizens have about the same “Latin” temperament: passionate, warm, friendly, always smiling, and also lovers of good food.
Likewise, Ambassador Victor Hugo Echeverri Jaramillo said both republics share Spain’s legacy of Catholicism, and have an equal degree of fervor in celebrating all the other religious holidays.
Beyond those attributes, however, both Manila and Bogota do not register well across their respective residents’ minds. The envoy said, for instance, Filipinos tend to have the notion that Colombia is in Africa. In parallel, his compatriots think our country is in that same continent.
With whatever vague knowledge that we here in the Philippines have about his motherland, a quick association will generate the notoriety of Pablo Escobar and his nefarious trade as depicted in Netflix.
“But seldom mentioned is our great novelist, Gabriel García Márquez, who penned the classic, 100 Years of Solitude,” he rued.
This kind of ignorance saddens Señor Echeverri, who expects that, at least, people should have the basic knowledge that Colombia is a quality producer of coffee and oil, and that the latter represents more than 45 percent of their exports.
(Both our countries are producers of rice, fruits and flowers, sugar and its by-product rum—although he admitted, our Don Papa brand “is the best.”)
“Colombia has many things to offer, but we are not closing our eyes to our problems,” the diplomat admitted, then said the same problems that beset them are also mirror images of what ails the Philippines: rebellion, drug-related crimes, the call for land reform, as well as the huge divide that separates the rich and the poor, among many others.
The Republic of Colombia is a sovereign state largely situated in the northwest of South America, which shares borders with Panama, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. It has a population of 45 million, which occupies 1.2 million square kilometers of territory. Part of the country’s eastern coastline is on the Atlantic side, while the western section faces the Pacific Ocean.
Always animated and with a penchant for addressing his guests with the term “dear,” the charming diplomat, who hails from the coffee-producing city of Armenia in Western Colombia, yearns for his country to become a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec).
As an intergovernment forum of 21 Pacific Rim member-economies promoting free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region, Echeverri believes his country’s location in the globe makes them a natural partner.
The next Apec meeting would be in his country this November, and the Philippines will be there among other economies.
“We’ll see what happens for the very important business aspirations of Colombia,” confirmed the charismatic envoy.
Echeverri said “political cooperation” is what his country seeks for first. And if Colombia becomes a full-fledged member of Apec, it completes the participation of the four-sided Pacific Alliance, which include Mexico, Chile and Peru.
“We share the same coastline. It’s but natural that we partner with Apec, but not yet as of the moment. Our application is still pending.”
The ambassador, who is also a doctor by virtue of his degree in Medicine, shared Colombia has the support of the Philippines to become part of Apec.
“It’s important [for the global community], because there’s the Pacific Alliance composed of four of the fastest-growing and most stable economies in Latin America.”
Expanding markets
AT the moment, there’s little economic activity going on between Colombia and the Philippines, something to the tune of $25 million per year in bilateral trade.
“But it could grow more,” Echeverri analyzed, as he revealed the International Container Terminal Services of the Razon family has invested in seaports in his country, with further plans for expansion.
He noted the strength in business-process outsourcing (BPO) of the Philippines, which is home to 851 registered companies.
The envoy said Amazon, the multinational technology company based in Seattle, Washington, D.C., would like to set up a BPO in our shores. “Amazon chose Colombia as core for business in Latin America. The way they see it is that the Philippines would be exporting these kinds of services to [us].”
Since the Philippines is a member of the Asean, he knows that Filipino-made products can be exposed to the entire region. But if a local enterprise sets up one in Colombia with a local partner, its products could reach South America via the Pacific Alliance, penetrating the markets of the four member-countries.
“Sometimes your companies need to expand. They have Latin America to sell their products.”
“Nowadays,” the Colombian doctor-turned-diplomat added, “it’s not only about the exchange of goods; it’s about strategic partnerships. I think we’ll have very good potential, and we’re beginning to explore that.”
Bridging cultures
SPEAKING of bridging the divide between our peoples, Echeverri aims to close the gap through various means.
Colombia’s former ambassador to Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, Echeverri wants to enliven the cultural exchanges of both countries. In fact, he has lined up several activities to highlight his country’s best in culture.
In the pipeline is the exhibition of a young muralist and the performance of an accomplished music conductor to commemorate the two centuries of independence of Colombia. (This year marks his country’s victory in the Battle of Boyacá in 1819. According to historical accounts, it is considered as the beginning of the independence of the northern region of South America from Spanish rule.)
“This event is meant also to celebrate our friendship with the Philippines,” the good envoy added, then revealed the Colombian composer would play some Filipino musical pieces.
Also in the works is the arrival of a Colombian chef “to showcase a bit about [our country’s] gastronomy.”
‘Hablando español’
IN terms of education, Echeverri disclosed that Colombia is offering scholarships to those willing to learn Spanish in Bogota, where they shoulder all the expenses of the seven-month program for East Asians, including the learners’ plane fares, trips for going around the country, as well as accommodations.
“The Spanish we speak is the purest form,” he proudly announced, as the original form they learned from colonial times was preserved “up to this moment.”
The envoy praised Filipino students for their ability to learn the language easily, surmising that there exists a “Spanish chip” embedded in their brains.
He pointed out the advantages of learning one of the “romantic languages,” despite Mandarin being spoken by more than a billion people, but is only understood in one part of the world.
“Spanish is spoken by half of the [population in the] United States, in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Spain, Equatorial Guinea in Africa, [and in] so many other places.”
By learning a lingua franca, such as Spanish, one gets to understand more about another culture, according to Echeverri.
“For your foreign affairs, it’s important because in the future, the Philippines might open an embassy in Bogota,” the diplomat hinted of the possibility.
Visa free to Bogota
IN the event of this happening, the highest representative of Colombia gave an idea of the travel to his native land. The way to get to Colombia, he described, is to initially fly from Manila to Turkey, a 13-hour trip with a stopover in Ankara. (No visa is needed for Filipinos transiting Ankara’s Esenboğa International Airport.)
From there, it’s another 14-hours aboard Turkish Airlines that would bring the passenger to Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport.
One incentive for those willing to endure the long journey is that there are no visa requirements for Filipinos to visit Bogota. Their immigration allows for a three-month stay. To linger longer, a six-month stamp would be granted, including for those who want to study Spanish or invest in the country.
Because our neighboring countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and China require visas for his countrymen, Echeverri explained Manila is the ideal gateway for those in Colombia who wanted to explore Asia due to the waived visa prerequisite.
When in Luzon, he will recommend the unparalleled beauty of the islands of Coron in Palawan. Then, Colombians could access the rest of the country’s famed tourist spots, such as Boracay, Cebu and many more in Mindanao.
The ambassador added the country is doing so well promoting its tourism jewels with the successful and catchy tagline, “It’s more fun in the Philippines,” which he finds very apt.
“Really, it is more fun here!” he exclaimed.
Permanent presence in PHL
COLOMBIA had established diplomatic relations with the Philippines 60 years ago. It was during Echeverri’s watch that the South American nation was able to establish its embassy about a year ago at the pulsating environs of the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig.
In just the brief time that he is in the country, the ambassador was up to that singular task that he was ordered to by his president, Iván Duque Márquez.
In March last year, the Colombian Embassy finally opened its doors after overcoming many obstacles, not the least was the financial side.
Previously, Colombia’s honorary consulate was under the helm of Stella Marquez Araneta, former titleholder of Miss International in the 1960s. She was instrumental in guiding Echeverri, as he went around Manila and eventually found the ideal location: at the 14th floor of the Inoza Tower at the BGC.
Colombia’s move to have a permanent presence in the country was driven by the Philippine economy’s “6-percent sustained growth, which is very important [for a] strategic partner in Southeast Asia,” he admitted.
The Latin American country’s former president, Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize, came to our shores in one of the previous Apec summits and met his counterpart, Benigno Aquino III, with whom he broached the idea of an embassy.
“He [Aquino] said, ‘Yes, we should open [one] here in Manila,’” Echeverri retold. With the political will and accompanying budgetary efforts, the struggle paid off as the Colombians inaugurated their new Philippine office in the first quarter of 2017.
“My boss called and told me: ‘We are ready to open in Manila.’ I came here and started the process.”
In their local headquarters, Echeverri said Colombia would be able to craft the various programs they want implemented vis-à-vis its political and diplomatic relations with its host country.
Quite appropriate for the good envoy, whose surname, also being carried by many Filipinos (albeit in a slightly modified form), actually means “new house.”
Colombia’s challenges to progress
MEANWHILE, the gentleman from Colombia said that, similar to the Philippines, his government is addressing multifarious problems.
He said part of the peace treaty that their authorities crafted was to enroll their guerrillas to help in the manual uprooting of the coca plants. “The eradication of the crops is still going on.”
Colombia’s top representative to the country shared that their government, like the Philippines, had called for the surrender of small firearms by rebels, “which should be the start to have peace prevail, and for businesses to flourish.”
Their government has encouraged the production of coffee, sugar cane and palm oil, of which Colombia is the fourth-largest producer in the world. Sugar cane is converted into bioethanol for cars, while palm oil turned into biodiesel.
Colombian coffee is world-famous, which they export about 10 million sacks per year. “It’s a very mild, delicious [kind of] coffee, like the one from Batangas,” he offered.
On the other hand, he was proud to say that Colombia also produces a million barrels of oil per day. This makes the country a “middle power” and a regional player in the Americas. Its diversified economy is the fourth-largest in Latin America, with macroeconomic stability and favorable long-term growth prospects.
Colombia’s road to progress is dictated by their four-year plans set for 2020, 2024 and 2028. Its current president is “on track with one of five courses of policy, for better equity of people.”
“If the [gap between the] rich and poor is bridged, then the [latter will have] money to fuel a better economy. Wealth would not only be in the hands of the few,” Echeverri observed.
Capping his tenure
HAVING been in the country for the last three years, and leaving a legacy as he achieved his mission of setting up their Philippine embassy, Echeverri is heading back to Colombia in August this year. He said he is still to be appraised as to who would replace him.
Yet, his remarkable experiences with the friendly inhabitants and the pristine beauty of the Philippines’s countryside could make him decide to stay in this country for good.
“I am very happy to stay here forever, probably will come back for my retirement.”
However, he will ensure that the order from his higher up, President Iván Duque, which is to focus on three main pillars of the Philippine-Colombian relations: cooperation, disaster management and cooperation on security, is carried out.
He likes to see the Philippine National Police and its counterpart in Colombia to cooperate in many fronts because “we have a long tradition of fighting transnational crime and anti-kidnapping. We have to acquire new skills in [the latter].”
In the course of his travels to Visayas and Mindanao, Echeverri was able to see Boracay “before its cleanup.” “I want to go back, [because] we have had the same problems in our islands. I want to see [it] after the process.”
“Of course, El Nido is wonderful, with so many things to do. It is so beautiful. And, of course, Tagaytay, [although I have not been] to the North.”
He said his wife wanted to see Batanes, but erratic weather always gets in the way.
Echeverri was asked, “What about [our] food?”
Upon hearing this query, the ambassador became more enthusiastic and wanted to convey how he savored local fares: “During the first months [that] I was here, I gained 5 kilograms.”
“What is, or are, to blame?” we dared to quiz him some more. The Colombian diplomat singled out bulalo, sinigang and lechon as culprits for the extra weight. “We have roast pig in Colombia, but the way you prepare [it] here, is what makes it more delicious.”
When it comes to desserts, he became fond of maja blanca, which he instantly liked on his first try. However, on subsequent outings, to his dismay, waiters could only shake their heads and offer the ubiquitous halo-halo.
Perhaps on Echeverri’s extended stay upon his return, he will have the time to discover where that delicacy is readily served.
He need not rush. His second home awaits for his comeback.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano
1 comment
The population of Colombia is wrong in this article. It’s surpassed the 50 million.