Israeli Ambassador to Manila Menashe Bar-On: It is sad, the strike. It is not something we wished to happen, but there is no other way. Joining the foreign service is a sacrifice, not just for the diplomat but for his family as well – particularly the spouse. Wives and husbands of diplomats leave their careers in their country when their partner gets posted. They make a huge sacrifice to keep their family together, they give their lives to the foreign service as well. But when their husband or wife retires from the foreign service, what happens to them? The diplomats will get pension, but the spouses, after sacrificing their careers in the private sector to represent their country abroad, will not be compensated when they are of retirement age. I am retiring next year. Government officials my age who are in other departments will have two pensions to support them in old age – one for them and one for their wives. Me and my wife will have to live with just one pension. I am lucky here in the Philippines, there are a lot of people who speak good English. They are easy to find and hiring them is not hard. However, for my colleagues abroad, in countries like China and Japan, it is harder for them. In our case in Manila, we have staff members that leave for better paying jobs. I am not the type of boss who would stop my employees from leaving once they find a job with better compensation. It happens and I am happy for them. But if I can make my staff stay longer instead of hiring a replacement after a short while, it would be better. We hope it would end soon. We hope the negotiations go well and that we can re-open the embassy soon.
CAROL RAMORAN: Unlike Filipino tourists who do not need a visa to visit Israel, caregivers and other workers need a special kind of visa. Similar problems are encountered abroad – the hiring of construction workers from China and workers for the agricultural sector coming from Thailand have also been affected by the strike. Until such a time that Israeli diplomats decide to go back to work, the Philippines and Israel won’t be able to sign an air services agreement, which would allow 21 direct flights between the two countries every week. A boost in tourism for both countries will have to wait.
