MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has appointed Assistant Secretary Charles Jose as its news spokesperson and head of the Public Information Services Unit (PISU).
Fresh from his post as Consul General in the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai where he stayed from 2011 to 2014, Jose is replacing Raul Hernandez who is set to leave this year for South Korea where he will serve as Ambassdor.
Born in 1960, Jose graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1982 with a degree in Economics then took his Master’s in 2002 on Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore.
He joined the DFA in the late 80s and was assigned to key Asia posts like Beijing, Chongqing, and Shanghai in China, as well as Bangkok and Singapore.
With almost 30 years of experience in the department, Jose said the best part about being a diplomat is being a frontliner when it comes to service. “Talagang nasa front line tayo ng sa lag-implement ng tatlong pillars ng foreign policy – political security, economic diplomacy, and looking after our kababayans overseas. That’s the best part and also the most difficult part. Hindi naman madaling gawin ang mga ‘yon eh,” Jose said.
(We [diplomats] are frontliners when it comes to implementing the 3 pillars of foreign policy – political security, economic diplomacy, and looking after our nationals overseas. That’s the best part and also the most difficult part. It’s not easy to do those things.)
China expert
With 3 of his postings in key Chinese cities, Jose is considered a China expert, something extremely useful especially at a time of rising tensions between the Philippines and China over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea.
Jose said that after his posts in China, his understanding of issues and the relationship between the Philippines and its big neighbor can be put to good use in his new role. An added boost is Jose’s being fluent in Mandarin.
The Philippines filed a unilateral arbitration case before the United Nations’ International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea to settle the dispute. China has refused to participate in the case. The Philippines is set to submit its memorial on March 30.
Exposed to crisis
The new spokesperson is also no neophyte when it comes to dealing with crisis. He was in Beijing during the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square, in Singapore during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, and in Thailand during the closure of airports due to protests.
Jose admitted that dealing with the media is something new to him as his past experience entailed dealing with both government officials of other countries and the Filipino community abroad. He said he is, however, more than ready to take on the challenge, and is hopeful the media can be a partner.
When it comes to speaking on behalf of the DFA and dealing with China, Jose said all it takes is discernment and good judgment. Sounding diplomatic, he said, “Of course, we rely on the leadership here at the DFA and the wisdom of our superiors. We take instructions from there.” – Rappler.com
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