RIYADH, 14 August 2005 — Word has it that Ambassador Bahnarim A. Guinomla would soon be assigned to another diplomatic post.
And the ambassador said he himself has heard the persistent rumor but has yet to receive any official instruction, either verbally or officially.
“We have a job to do and we don’t allow ourselves to be distracted by these kinds of rumors,” said Guinomla, whose tour of duty in Saudi Arabia would be cut by half should the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila decide to send him to a new post in the next few weeks.
Arab News learned earlier that his name had been nominated by Malaca?ang Palace to the Commission on Appointments in Manila as the next ambassador to Pakistan, but the nomination had reportedly been shelved.
A still unconfirmed information is that he would be nominated as ambassador to Turkey instead.
Guinomla’s misfortune, say embassy sources, is that his transfer is being sought by some community groups in Riyadh for still unclear reasons and that some “big shots” at the DFA are convinced that he should not stay any longer.
Some community leaders in Riyadh said they have told Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, when he came to the Saudi capital last month, that he would be doing a disservice to Filipinos in the Kingdom if he removes Guinomla, a career diplomat who assumed his Riyadh post in mid-2002.
Arab News sources say, however, that Romulo may not be able to do anything because the key post in Riyadh is being eyed by Manila as a reward for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s political allies.
Word about Guinomla’s imminent departure has become more pronounced with the term of Parouk Hussin as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) about to expire.
Hussin was reportedly offered by the Arroyo administration a diplomatic post to placate him and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), of which he is an official.
Hussin, who once chaired the 15-member MNLF executive council, withdrew his candidacy for governor of the five-province ARMM shortly before last Monday’s election after failing to get the endorsement of Malaca?ang.
Hussin felt that he was no match to Ampatuan in the gubernatorial fight because his rival would be supported by funds and other resources of the ruling party.
Arroyo, who is facing impeachment for allegedly cheating in last year’s presidential election, has opted to support the gubernatorial bid of Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, who belongs to one of the known clans in Maguindanao province. Ampatuan eventually won the election, beating two other rivals.
Hussin has admitted that he was sounded out by President Arroyo on his possible appointment as ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Hussin was reportedly being given a choice between Saudi Arabia and Sweden. A medical doctor by training, Hussin has a Swedish wife whom he met during his stint as secretary of foreign affairs of the MNLF before the signing of the peace agreement in September 1996.
Apart from Hussin, another Arroyo ally reportedly being eyed as ambassador in Riyadh is Roy Cimatu, a retired general whom the president appointed as her special envoy to the Middle East.
Embassy personnel who talked to Arab News said they could only wait for changes to take place and pray that good decisions are made.
“Let’s just hope that they will send someone who knows the job. If they think being ambassador to Saudi Arabia is a picnic, they’re dead wrong,” said one staff, who noted that the embassy in Riyadh and the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah could hardly cope with the large number of distressed Filipino workers seeking assistance.
Last year, the embassy alone repatriated 1,127 stranded OFWs. Thousands of other OFWs are facing or fighting cases in local courts, either criminal or labor-related.
In the Philippine government’s count, Saudi Arabia is home to some 900,000 Filipinos — including workers and dependents — making the Kingdom the second biggest host to Filipinos after the United States. (Additional input from Romy Tangbawan)