“We need principled leadership and men of probity on the world stage of diplomacy”
ONLY an eccentric or a numbskull would recommend Century Property Group’s founding chairman Jose Antonio as Philippine ambassador to the United States.
This emerged after Cagayan de Oro Congressman Rufus Rodriguez tore into Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Tourism, blaming them for the US State Department’s “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” advisory for the Philippines.
Rodriguez, known for crafting real estate laws, apparently had a memory slip that US travel advisories are determined by American intelligence and risk assessment – beyond the stalking influence of any foreign ambassador.
How did we leap from Rodriguez’s misplaced criticism to calls for Romualdez’s ouster and Antonio’s installment?
Some diplomatic observers are bemused, particularly since Antonio is former president Rodrigo Duterte’s fellow alumnus of the Benedictine-run San Beda University – Duterte finished law in San Beda Mendiola while Antonio finished commerce cum laude.
These same observers postulate the thought, knocked for six by what they describe as a mystery, that there must be some hidden agenda in all this.
Antonio, now in his late 70s, has been described as among the 50 richest Filipinos in the country, with a net worth of US$265 million.
But there are those from the other side of the fence who say with candor that Antonio has not exactly been in the middle of current US-Philippines relations.
Given that he had a stint as a Duterte-appointed special envoy, there is in succeeding pages of that resume his meticulously crafted repute, if notoriety, as a “close acquaintance” of US President Donald Trump.
There is also an advertence to his close ties with an American businessman who claims sole credit for funding the return of the Balangiga Bells.
For the record, the primary individuals who facilitated the return of the Balangiga bells were US Defense Secretary James Mattis and Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
Duterte also played a crucial role by making the issue a national priority and Washington returned in 2018 the bells which symbolize Filipino resistance against colonial rule and American intervention during the Philippine-American war.
This feat of returning a cherished national heirloom that few Filipinos really care about, and his close connection with the previous Philippine president, seems enough for him to imagine he is fit for the post of Philippine ambassador to Washington.
Analysts of the Washington scene, with Trump jabbed by many controversies, not excluding his ties with 2024 campaign fund raiser Elon Musk, ask forthrightly if Antonio is that close or would even be given an ear, where and when appropriate.
They ask: Is it the kind of relationship that can weigh heavily on decisions like the tariff on Philippine goods or US immigration policy? Said differently, are they truly thick as thieves?
One thing that crops up in characterizing Antonio’s friendship with Trump is that Century Properties reportedly paid $9.3 million – about $3 million a year – for the privilege of Trump branding on its Makati skyscraper, a deal that did not escape media scrutiny in either city.
As the New York Post curtly observed, the arrangement “highlighted the collision between the private interests of a businessman in the White House and his public responsibility to shape US foreign policy.”
It would be uncharitable to say Antonio had to pay his friend Trump for the honor of naming one of his properties after him. But the so-called Trump Tower Philippines is just a short walk away from Padre Burgos street.
If Antonio were to take up the ambassador post, Century Properties Group would certainly benefit. At the very least, the company would gain international exposure – and, with Antonio’s connections and title, likely new business opportunities.
Which would mean, observers posit, CPG finally gets a seat at the table of the biggest players in the Philippine real estate market.
However, would American investors take Antonio seriously, especially when considering the baggage he carries?
In 2021, media chronicled law enforcement investigations into Jose’s son, Robbie Antonio, for alleged questionable business practices. In 2016, environment officials canceled an environmental compliance certificate for a Century Properties development near the La Mesa Watershed, citing risks to Manila’s drinking water supply.
Controversies galore. But that’s not what our country needs now. Like observers point out, we need principled leadership and men of probity on the world stage of diplomacy.
