PH negotiator to China, ASEAN is new foreign secretary
The Philippines' top negotiator to China and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been chosen as the new foreign affairs secretary in a major Cabinet reshuffle ordered by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
Maria Theresa Lazaro will assume the post as Marcos' foreign affairs chief, replacing Enrique Manalo, who will return to his former post as Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, which he held from 2020 to June 30, 2022 under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Lazaro will take over the helm at the Department of Foreign Affairs on July 31, but she would still go through confirmation proceedings in Congress.
A seasoned career diplomat, Lazaro, 66, negotiated a landmark agreement with
China on a provisional arrangement for the Philippine delivery of supplies to Filipino forces at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) to prevent a repeat of past confrontations.
Signed in July 2024, the agreement that covers Ayungin and seeks to avoid altercations after a violent clash between Philippine Navy special forces and Chinese coast guard personnel on June 17, 2024 at the Philippine-occupied area.
Since the forging of the agreement, succeeding resupply missions to the shoal have been peaceful with Chinese ships keeping watch at a distance.
As DFA's Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN, Lazaro also leads negotiations for a crucial Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, which aims to prevent a major conflict in the disputed waters, called by Manila as the West Philippine Sea.
Lazaro, whose career in the foreign service largely focused on crafting Philippine foreign policy, spearheads negotiations for communiques in the ASEAN as the Philippines' representative to the bloc's senior official meetings or SOM.
Lazaro retired from the Foreign Service in 2024, but was re-appointed by Marcos.
She served multiple times at the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs, including as its assistant secretary.
She was also Manila's ambassador to Paris and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. She served as ambassador to Switzerland, consul general to Sydney, and deputy consul general to New York.
Early in her diplomatic career, Lazaro served at the Philippine Embassy in Madrid, the Philippine Mission to the UN in Geneva, and the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Maryknoll College and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
7 hours ago
- GMA Network
North Korea hit by major internet outage, likely due to internal cause
SEOUL - North Korea's internet was hit by a major outage that lasted several hours on Saturday, knocking off connection to government web sites and official news services online and severing the reclusive country from cyberspace. It was not clear what caused the outage but it may have been internal rather than a cyberattack, as connections via China and Russia were affected, said researchers who monitor North Korea's internet and technology infrastructure. North Korea's main official news services, its Foreign Ministry, and the Air Koryo national airline were among websites inaccessible on Saturday, before they started coming back slowly around midday according to checks by Reuters. North Korea's entire internet infrastructure was not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, and email services were also affected, Junade Ali, a U.K.-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet, said earlier. "Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack." Officials at South Korea's cyber terror response center, a police division that monitors North Korea's cyber activities, could not be reached for comment. Martyn Williams, who specializes in North Korea's technology and infrastructure at the Washington-based Stimson Center, also said the cause appeared to be internal as the Chinese and Russian connections were not working. North Korea has one of the world's most strictly controlled internet systems, including access to any form of online communication. The general public has access only to an intranet set up by the government and that is not connected to the wider global network. An elite few in the government and leadership are allowed open internet access, and government and news websites often serve up propaganda for outside audiences. North Korea has in previous years experienced large internet outages suspected as being caused by cyberattacks. The country operates elite teams of hackers, including a group known as Lazarus run by the government intelligence apparatus, that are blamed for attacks against foreign institutions and companies and more recently for theft and the laundering of cryptocurrencies. North Korea denies involvement in hacking, crypto thefts and other cybercrime. — Reuters
GMA Network
12 hours ago
- GMA Network
NDFP's Luis Jalandoni passes away at 90
Luis Jalandoni, senior political consultant and executive committee member of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), has died at the age of 90, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) announced Saturday night. The CPP said Jalandoni passed away at 9:05 a.m. in Utrecht, the Netherlands (3:05 p.m. Philippine time) on Saturday, ''surrounded by comrades, his wife Ka Coni, and his family.'' ''The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines expresses its condolences to Ka Louie's family, whose love, strength, and support accompanied him through decades of service to the Filipino people's revolutionary cause,'' it said. Jalandoni previously served as chief negotiator of the NDFP, the CPP's political wing, in the negotiations with the government aimed at ending the decades-old communist insurgency in the Philippines. Before the Duterte administration left in June 2022, Jalandoni was designated a terrorist, along with five suspected CPP members, by the Anti-Terrorism Council. The designation, however, did not stop the succeeding Marcos administration from opening the door for negotiations again. In November 2023, Jalandoni said that a "substantive agenda that can provide concrete benefits for the people, keeping in mind always that the roots of the armed conflict must be resolved," should be pursued. 'The road to a long and lasting peace is long. The journey will be challenging; the final destination will not be easy to reach. But we have to traverse that path because the people want and deserve it,' Jalandoni had said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
16 hours ago
- GMA Network
Teodoro bares plans for Balabac, Palawan air and naval base
An airbase and naval station are being eyed to be built in Balabac, Palawan, Defense Secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro said Saturday. In an interview with the media, Teodoro said the construction includes a joint-use runway for the use of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). "Mag-iinspeksiyon tayo, dahil ang runway ay ang CAAP. Titingin tayo ng lugar kung saan talaga puwede na maglagay ng airbase at ng naval base," Teodoro said. (We will conduct an inspection, the runway will be for CAAP. We will look for an area where we can actually put an airbase and a naval base.) "Ang report sa akin ay 'yung Air Force side at 'yung naval side ay magkatabi. 'Yun nga lang, may lupain na kailangan kunin para buo 'yung lugar, isahan na lang," he added. (The report I received is that the Air Force side and the naval side will be next to each other. However, there is a piece of land that needs to be acquired first to construct an all-in-one area.) Strategic location According to Teodoro, Balabac serves as a strategic location for the country in an area where foreign vessels, including those of China, often take their route. It is one of the largest islands in the southwest Philippines, where the South China Sea and Sulu Sea merge. "Minsan dumadaan talaga rito ang Chinese vessels. At ito kapag hindi nadama or hindi nagkaroon ng presence, napakadali na abusuhin ng foreign influence and other inappropriate and illegal activities," said Teodoro. (Chinese vessels actually pass through here. When it is not felt or there is no presence, the place is very easy to be abused by foreign influence and other inappropriate and illegal activities.) He said the construction of the naval station is eyed "as soon as possible, depending on the funding." Further, the Western Command (WESCOM) and PAF are also eyeing the construction of a health center in the municipality to address the medical needs of its residents. 'All-in-One Bayanihan' Teodoro also led the 'All-in-One Bayanihan' community outreach activity held in Balabac on Friday. Combined forces of Go Share Philippines, the Balabac local government unit, Balabac District Hospital, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) sought to deliver free services and aid to communities in need in the municipality. Donations were turned over, including school supplies, food packs, water filters, and wheelchairs. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
