Why is Baja being suddenly replaced when he is doing a good job? This is not to say that Davide is not qualified for the position. If he accepts the post, he won’t be the first former chief justice to do so. President Cory Aquino sent former Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee to the UN and he served there until he died due to illness.

Political appointments to the UN and in other diplomatic posts are nothing new. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is just following a tradition of her predecessors. Whether this practice is good for the foreign service is apparently not a factor.

But even in the United States, ambassadorships are routinely awarded by the White House to persons who have helped the president one way or another.

In fact, the Philippine Foreign Service Act provides for a certain ratio of political appointees at any given time. With rare exceptions, all Philippine ambassadors to Washington, including the current one, came from the private sector.

If he does go, Baja will be leaving his post on a trail of record-setting performance, foremost of which was his having chaired the United Nations Security Council at a critical juncture in its history. It was during his watch that the UNSC put its indelible imprint on the Iraqi war.

If he moves up to replace Foreign Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, that will not come as a surprise. During his active foreign service, he has held responsible positions, including acting DFA secretary, undersecretary and as an ambassador.

On the other hand, Secretary Romulo has also won plaudits for steering the DFA under trying times. He is rumored to be the next Philippine ambassador to the U.S., vice Albert del Rosario, who has indicated his desire to return to his private business.

Romulo will certainly be an ideal choice but will he agree to step back after being at the top of the pecking order?

We don’t think the reassignment will diminish Romulo in any way. He has distinguished himself as a senator and as a former executive secretary to President Arroyo. He won’t be the first DFA secretary to take an ambassadorship. Domingo Siazon, who served as foreign secretary under President Joseph Estrada, is now Philippine ambassador to Japan.