T he Overseas-Filipino communities must insist that only career diplomats be assigned to the Philippine consulates or embassy in their foreign domiciles. The primary reason is that a Philippine diplomatic post happens to be the show window of the homeland and, therefore, only the best-trained and the brightest career diplomats should be sent to man it. Politicians, especially lame ducks or defeated candidates, and even retired military officers are poor choices for the diplomatic service. Why? Not being trained as diplomats, politicians run the risk of further dividing the already-fragmented Overseas-Filipino community. (Editor's Note: This article tells also how some Filipino Americans in Los Angeles, CA, fought to redeem the image of the Ilocano, as tarnished by the acts of then Consul General Buddy Gomez in Hawaii during the Cory Aquino presidency.)

S enate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said an administration plan to raise the monthly retirement pensions for members of the Social Security System and Government Service Insurance System should prod Congress to act on long-pending bills that prescribe such benefit adjustment.