The Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that the Commission on Appointments has confirmed seven new envoys. All are career ambassadors.

DFA spokesman J. Eduardo Malaya said there were no political appointees from the new ambassadors recently confirmed by the CA.

Under Section 17 of Republic Act (RA) 7157 or the Foreign Service Act, majority of the diplomatic and permanent missions must be headed by career ambassadors.

The seven new ambassadors
confirmed by the CA are Linglingay Lacanlale, Lourdes Yparraguire, Nestor Padalhin, Romeo Manalo, Eva Betita, Bayani Mangibin, and Bahnarim Guinomia.

Lacanlale was confirmed as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (AEP) to the Kingdom of Thailand, leaving her current post as Ambassador to Austria. She will be replaced by Yparraguire, who is the new envoy to Austria after her confirmation by the CA.

Yparraguire is currently DFA Assistant Secretary for American Affairs.

Lacanlale will also be the Philippines’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP).

The CA also confirmed Padalhin as the new Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso, the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Cote d’ Ivoire, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the Gabonese Republic, the Republic of Gambia, the Republic of Ghana, the Republic of Guinea, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of Sierra Leone and Togo.

Padalhin is the vice chairman of the Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat and Special Assistant at the Office of the Undersecretary for Special and Ocean Concerns.

Filipinos in Italy will have a new ambassador in the person of Romeo Manalo, current Chief Coordinator of the Office of the Secretary.

Manalo will be replacing Ambassador Philippe Lhuillier, who was assigned as the Philippine envoy to Italy in 1999.

The CA also confirmed Betita as the new Ambassador to Brazil, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Colombia, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Republic of Suriname. She is currently the Philippine Consul-General in Sydney, Australia.

Likewise, former DFA spokesman Mangibin was confirmed by the CA to be the new Philippine Ambassador to Iraq. He is currently the Chair-Alternate to the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines.

Guinomia meanwhile is the new Ambassador to Bangladesh with concurrent jurisdiction over the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives.  He is currently the Assistant Secretary for DFA Mindanao.

Aside from the seven new envoys, the CA also promoted two officers: Philippine Consul-General to New York Cecilia Rebong was promoted to Chief of Mission, Class I while Patricia Ann Paez was promoted to Chief of Mission, Class II. Paez is currently assigned to the Office of Presidential Protocol in Malacañang.

Union of Foreign Service Officers (UNIFORS) president Victoria Bataclan, in a letter to Senate President and CA Chairperson Juan Ponce Enrile, however expressed grievance over the confirmation of Paez, saying that “37 other officers of Career Minister rank” had been affected by her appointment.

Bataclan cited Section 27 Republic Act 7151 or the Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991 which mandates that there should be a continuous three years in service in each class before becoming eligible for promotion to a higher class.