|
Official Statement of
Consul General Cecilia B. Rebong about her official residence in New York
At the outset, I would like to
assure our kababayans that in renting my official, not personal,
residence every effort was taken to ensure that the Philippine government
receives the value of its expenditure and that all laws, rules and regulations
were observed in the process. This was a process that included a collegial
examination and consideration of the lease contract by the appropriate offices
of the Department, approval by then Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia D. Albert,
and the passing of the required auditing and accounting requirements.
When I assumed my post as
Consul General in late 2003, there was no available government-owned
residence for the Consul General in New York. While there was the Philippine
Government townhouse on East 66th Street in Manhattan, the first
three floors of the building were already occupied by the Philippine Permanent
Representative to the United States. The upper three floors, on the other hand,
were in a state of disrepair and needed major renovation work. An architectural
firm has started the necessary work and renovation is scheduled to start soon.
Once the renovation work is completed, I will move to the townhouse as was the
original plan. Meantime, I needed to find quarters that met the following
criteria:
a.
It had to be near or close to the Philippine Consulate General in
Manhattan;
b.
It had to be centrally located to facilitate the holding of
official and community functions;
c.
The Landlord or building management had to accept diplomats like
myself as tenants;
d.
The Landlord or building management recognized and allowed the
insertion of the “diplomatic clause”; and
e.
The rent was within the range authorized by the Department
of Foreign Affairs and comparable to rates given to previous Consuls
General in New York.
The first two criteria ensure
smooth and uninterrupted performance of official and community functions. It is
not an exaggeration to say that the Philippine Consulate General in New York is
open 24/7, 365 days a year. Often, our presence is required at the Consulate –
quick and fast
--
such that living close to the
Consulate becomes a job description and not just a matter of convenience for any
Philippine Consul assigned to the Philippine Consulate General in New York.
As part of my duties, I have
hosted functions and meetings with American investors, community leaders,
government officials, cultural leaders, members of the media as well as with
other diplomats and consular officials at my current residence. Such functions
and meetings are intended to build goodwill and close, personal ties in pursuing
our interests: from securing investments, tourism and trade, updating officials
on developments in our country, promoting Philippine culture, ensuring that
employers give Filipino employees their just due, and helping build close ties
without and within the Filipino community.
The third criterion is
necessitated by the fact that in New York City, landlords seem averse to
diplomats because of their diplomatic immunity. Even the condominium building
where a Philippine Permanent Representative and Consul General lived in the 80s
and 90s, respectively, no longer accepts diplomats as tenants.
The fourth criterion is
related to the third and it involves the so-called
diplomatic clause. This clause is inserted in lease contracts for the
protection of the sending government (in my case, the Philippine government). It
simply states that I, as tenant, can terminate the lease contract at anytime
before the maturity of the lease contract without exposing the Philippine
government to any fine or penalty if termination is for official reasons.
The fifth criterion is a
fiscal and legal function. The Department of Foreign Affairs carefully
scrutinizes lease contracts such as the one I have for my official residence
before giving its final approval to make sure these contracts are consistent
with existing government rules and regulations.
All five criteria were
followed when, finally, I settled on my current official residence.
There were other choices including several
condominium units in midtown and lower
Manhattan.
However, these units no longer accepted diplomats as tenants. Moreover, the
rental rates in these units were much higher than what I am paying for my
current official residence.
Please allow me to close by
saying that even as I continue to maximize the opportunities provided by my
current official residence in pursuing legitimate Philippine national interests,
I continue to make regular searches and inquiries for other possible
accommodation that could address our needs and challenges for less cost.
Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to air my side.
Very truly yours,
(Sgd.) CECILIA B. REBONG
Consul General |
