WHEN this reporter was assigned to interview Panama’s Ambassador to the Philippines Rolando Guevara, the Panama hat immediately came to mind.
He thought it would be a handy device to start the conversation, until he found out that this male headgear is actually of Ecuadorian origin….
So, the idea was jettisoned and went straight for the jugular, so to speak. His Excellency was asked: “What are the things that bind the Philippines and Panama together?”
The envoy pointed out that despite the distance that separates the two countries, (about 16,565 kilometers, or 10,293 miles as the crow flies), both are intertwined by two common denominators: our Latin temperament and our maritime heritage.
“The Philippines and Panama share the fact of being countries with long histories in maritime. I personally see the Philippines as the ‘most Latin American country’ in Asia,” Guevara noted.
“From ancient times, our countries have had similar experiences, sharing the same chronicles of conquest and colonization by the Spanish crown. Latinos and Filipinos mirrored themselves in the product of long years of struggle against imperialism, colonialism, poverty and a quest to achieve ourselves’ determination of getting our true identities as independent countries,” Guevara related.
As a brief background, Panama is a country on the slender waist between the North and South American continents. The country made a mark in the world with the construction of the Panama Canal by the US Army between 1904 and 1914. It is considered a monumental feat of human engineering, dug out of dense forests to link the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, a 77-km long [48 mi.] shortcut for shipping route.
The American Society of Civil Engineers has called the Panama Canal “one of the seven wonders of the modern world”.
Thanks to its location, Panama enjoys a position as the custodian of one of the world’s most important marine-trade links. For a hundred years the Panama Canal has provided a faster way for ships wishing to detour the hazardous Cape Horn on the tip of South America near Antarctica, bringing across trade and commerce between the two oceans.
Annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in 1914, when the canal opened, to 14,702 vessels in 2008. By 2012, more than 815,000 vessels had passed through the canal. Ships take six to eight hours to sail through the Canal via a series of locks.
‘Twin connections’
SEÑOR Guevara pointed out the “twin connections” that Panama and the Philippines have also experienced the US’s tight embrace in politics, economics, and culture.
His country, like the Philippines, used to host the superpower’s military bases, back in the days when the Panama Canal Zone was under American control. The Canal has since reverted to the hands of its citizens.
“Similar to the Philippines, the US bases [in Panama] were closed down ever since we regained full sovereignty of the Canal in 1999,” he shared.
According to the envoy, a lawyer by profession, the shipping industry has become, by far, the strongest influence in which both countries have focused their mutual efforts on. He said the Philippines provides the “manpower muscle,” while Panama the “infrastructure sinew” that power the world shipping community.
“It is the best service possible in terms of vessel registration under Panama flag, and the development of Filipinos seafarers,” the diplomat explained. “The Canal forms the backbone of our economy, along with our strong financial-service platform and tourism sector. Its annual worth is $1 billion. In 2009 it earned us around $4.75 billion in revenue, a decade after the restoration of the sovereignty of the Canal Zone from American to Panamanian hands. In 2012, the annual revenue exceeded $1 billion, bringing the total revenue to $7.61 billion”.
He continued, “As the original canal is deemed too small for modern ships, a new Expanded Panama Canal was launched in June 2016. Consisting of a third set of locks with a wider and deeper canal, it cost us over $5.25 billion. It was inaugurated on June 26, 2016, and 15,000 spectators attended, including 11 heads of state as VIP guests, with the former King of Spain Juan Carlos I on hand.”
“The Philippines sent special envoy Dr. Máximo Mejía, then-director of Maritime Industry Authority [or Marina], to join the momentous event. While there, he also signed the memorandum of agreement on the Recognition of Certificates under the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certifications and Watchkeeping for Seafarers convention.”
That, according to Guevara, is the latest of the bilateral agreements between the Philippines and Panama.
With regard to foreign visitors to his country, Guevara cited the Tourism Authority of Panama, saying total registrations tallied at 2,550,659 in 2015, with tourism receipts accounting for $4.17 billion. Most of these arrivals, however, came from the US, Colombia, Brazil and Spain.
We also asked about the possibility of tourism between Manila and his country’s capital, Panama City. He said Filipinos constituted only 6,174 of all arrivals in 2015, but volunteers there are still many avenues to explore in order to stimulate tourism arrivals on both sides.
“To that end, we are going to work with the Department of Tourism in the crafting of a tourism agreement,” he promised.
Lawyer, envoy
AMBASSADOR Guevara graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, taking up a master’s degree in comparative Law and another in maritime laws.
“I was called by the General Consul of Panama in New Orleans to assist them as an interpreter when they had Commercial Missions visiting, or in specific activities in the Consulate,” he narrated.
“Thereafter, as a working attorney in a law firm where I ended up as a partner, I attended basically to all matters related to international business law and corporate laws, as well as arbitration.”
Guevara currently serves as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Republic of Panama to the Philippines, as well as to the State of Brunei Darussalam.
“I am not a career diplomat, but I have also served as ambassador of Panama to Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and also as ambassador and chief of mission of Panama to the European Union.”
He went on by saying, “I represented Panama in the World Custom Organization in Brussels. In The Hague, I was ambassador and permanent representative of Panama to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons [OPCW].
In 2002, I ran as candidate to the post of director general of the OPCW. At the same time, in the Netherlands, I served as Panama’s representative to the Administrative Council of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Criminal Court and The Hague International Conference on Private Law.”
As a lawyer, Guevara has spent more than 20 years in international business transactions and real-estate law, being a senior partner of the firm Rosas y Rosas, until his separation on July 2014, eventually assuming his post as Ambassador to the Philippines.
Global maritime power
THE envoy said Panama, a small nation of about 4 million, has the world’s largest fleet of ships registered under its Panamanian flag, with Filipino seafarers making up around 60 percent of the work force.
On the other hand, the Philippines maintains its role as the leading source of seafarers to the world’s fleets, representing 30 percent of worldwide seamen. Many of these vessels fly the blue-and-red, two-star banner, yet the country itself has a limited history of trade.
According to maritime sources, most merchant ships carrying Panama’s colors belong to foreign owners wishing to avoid the stricter marine regulations imposed by their own countries, and also to avoid taxes.
About 8,600 ships fly the Panamanian flag. By comparison, the US has around 3,400 registered vessels and China, just over 3,700.
Panama now has the largest registry in the world, followed by Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Hong Kong and Singapore.
As of last year, almost three quarters of the world’s fleet was registered under a flag of a country other than its own. The registry is lucrative for Panama, bringing in half-a-billion dollars for the economy in fees, services and taxes.
Tapping PHL manpower
GUEVARA described Filipino seamen as “world class workers”, who are preferred by most shipping employers around the world.
“It is because of their quality of work, loyalty, tenacity, sense of decency and sense of sharing with any culture or nationality in their workplace,” the envoy emphasized.
“On top of that, Filipinos have a good command of English, which is vital in such working environment,” he mused, adding, “it is without a doubt the Philippines retains its title as the crewing capital of the world.”
The consulate general in Manila alone, Guevara volunteered, handles around 3,000 to 4,000 applications per month “of Filipino seafarers wishing to work on board Panamanian-registered vessels around the world”.
Since August of last year, the envoy said the Panama Maritime Authority has started the process of the Automated Application System, which is basically the online application for the Panama licenses.
This new technological platform simplifies procedures, increases efficiencies, speeds up processes and minimizes the cost for the users, while preserving transparency and security.
“We are still in learning curve but we are advancing at a steady and good pace,” he noted.
Guevara said since shipping is his primary focus during his tenure, he plans to finish a tour of all important and well-known maritime colleges and maritime training centers in the country, as well as to prime them to be enrolled as “seafarers” working on Panama-registered vessels around the world.
“Our intention is to increase those numbers. We would like to sign a memorandum of understanding with the maritime college to render the opportunity for young graduates to at least enroll in the Panama Consulate, so that when they complete college, they can show any crew-manning company or principal in the maritime sector that these young male or female cadets have their personal data recorded in the Panamanian Consulate of Merchant Marine. This is to expedite their chances of getting hired and employed by the Maritime Companies in the Philippines.”
He added this is like giving them the opportunity to have an aggregate value to their diploma once they get out of school. “At least, they have a ship’s registry willing to receive them as a ‘seaman worker’.”
“That measure will benefit the college or maritime school, regardless of the immediate benefit to their maritime students. It also benefits Panama [by] enrolling Filipino seafarers, as well as highly qualified seafarers, to maintain our leadership in the maritime industry in registered ships. I personally see it as a ‘win-win’ measure to all parties involved,” Guevara noted.
In connection, he said that in October of this year, the Maritime Authority of the Republic of Panama is celebrating its “100 Years of Ship Registry”.
“We are extending invitations to relevant sectors and key players in bilateral relations, whether diplomats, businessmen, public officials, peoples from the maritime sector in the Philippines and others, to attend to that one-week festivity in Panama.”
Aside from the seafaring and maritime sector, our ambassador from Panama said their mining industry is starting to flourish, resulting in the deployment of more than a thousand Filipino workers in the mining areas.
“There are also great opportunities for Filipinos to work in Panama in such areas as nurses, caregivers and domestic helpers. We even have processed an interesting number of visas for Filipinos who are sent to Panama to be trained in call centers and learn the skills of the Spanish language and vice versa,” he proudly announced.
Trade matters
ASKED how he fared since his posting here, the good ambassador shared that, “It has been a constant and continuous challenge trying to enhance and reinforce the common bilateral relations between both countries.”
“We have spent and continued a nonending task of visiting and meeting key players and different institutions in the Philippines that may be willing to explore in more detail mutual points of interest, whether in the diplomatic, commercial, educational or cooperation scenarios,” he expounded.
“I think one of my accomplishments was having arranged the official visit to the Philippines of Panama’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs twice since I was here.”
Trade between the two countries, as he describes it, is “fluctuating”.
Exports peaked in 2006 at $44.1 million. In 2007 it fell to $5.1 million but recovered to $22.5 million in 2008, and eventually rebounded at $30.8 million.
According to the Department of Trade and Industry, imports increased in 2011 at $69.7 million, dipped to $10.9 million in 2012, but rebounded to $55.9 million in 2014, and tumbled again to $6.9 million in 2016.
Exports of Panamanian agricultural products are basically shrimp, banana and coffee, while imports from the Philippines are mainly manufactured goods, electronics and pineapple.
Four-decade ties
PANAMA and the Philippines started diplomatic relations in 1973 under the two countries’ then-presidents Demetrio B. Lakas and Ferdinand E. Marcos.
“Thus, there has been 44 years of continuous and stable bilateral ties between our two countries from different and opposite sides of the world,” he noted.
The Panamanian Embassy opened in Manila in 1982, represented by Ramos Sierro as its first ambassador.
The Philippines currently does not have an embassy in Panama as the Philippine Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico, is handling all relations.
“However, I have been informed by the Department of Foreign Affairs that a Philippine Embassy will be opened in Panama City in the next few years. I am looking forward to that,” he revealed.
Both countries belong to several international organizations and meet occasionally at international forums to discuss matters of mutual importance for both countries.
Guevara hopes that before the end of his tour of duties, he would be able to pave the way for their president or vice president to pay a visit to the Philippines.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano