Philippine Ambassador to Morocco Leslie Junio Baja faces a committee of the Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. Screengrab from CA Youtube livestream
MANILA, Philippines — Two Philippine ambassadors secured the confirmation of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday.
The CA, during a plenary session, confirmed the nomination of Leslie Junio Baja as Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco.
Baja, as ambassador to Morocco, also has concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Guinea, the Republic of Mali, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Republic of Senegal.
The CA also confirmed the nomination of Raymond Reyes Balatbat as Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon.
The Commission on Appointments (CA) during its hybrid plenary session Wednesday, December 16, 2020, confirms the nomination of Ambassadors Leslie Baja (2nd from left) and Raymond Balatbat (4th from left) as Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Morocco and the Lebanese Republic, respectively. Photo also shows CA Chairman and Senate President Vicente Sotto III (left); Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson (3rd from left); Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino (5th from left); and Leonardo Luiz Manantan (right), whose ad interim appointment as Foreign Affairs Service Officer II was also approved by the CA. (Albert Calvelo/ Senate PRIB)
Baja and Balatbat’s nominations were recommended for CA approval by the body’s Committee on Foreign Affairs earlier in the day.
The CA also confirmed the ad interim appointment of Leandro Luiz Soliven Manantan as Foreign Service Officer, Class II.
Baja has been in the foreign service for 34 years, starting out as a “casual employee” of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Making his way up to the ranks, Baja served as Philippine ambassador to Switzerland from 2011 to 2015.
He also became Manila’s top diplomat in Egypt from 2015 to 2018.
“During his post as the Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt from August to September 2018, he ably assisted about 10,000 Filipinos in the countries under his jurisdiction, particularly, in the case of missing seafarers in Eritrea, which reportedly required close coordination with Eritrean authorities,” Senator Panfilo Lacson, chair of the CA foreign affairs committee, said in recommending Baja’s nomination for approval in plenary.
“Ambassador Baja also aided in establishing the Philippine presence in Ethiopia for his significant role in the establishment of the honorary consulate of the Philippines in Addis Ababa. In 2013, he worked on the passage of the Compensation Act for Human Rights Victims as the Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein,” the senator added.
Meanwhile, Balatbat started out as a legislative researcher and writer as a budget analyst at the Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) from 1992 to 1993 before his stint in the DFA.
“He joined the Foreign Service in 1997 and has since held key roles at the home office and overseas, including stints at the Philippine Embassies in Jakarta, Indonesia; Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and Brunei Darussalam,” Lacson noted.
“For his various accomplishments and exemplary work in the Department, Ambassador Balatbat was conferred Gawad Mabini, Rank of Commander in 2007,” he added.
Aside from Baja and Balatbat, the CA also confirmed the ad interim appointment of Leandro Luiz Soliven Manantan as Foreign Service Officer, Class II.