Toast Remarks
of
TEODORO L. LOCSIN, JR.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
On the Occasion of the 729th Founding Anniversary of the Swiss Confederation
[Swiss Ambassador’s Residence (Saturday), 6:00 P.M., 01 August 2020]
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin delivers his toast remarks during the small Swiss National Day celebratory gathering with Swiss Ambassador Alain Gaschen on 01 August 2020.
Good evening.
On behalf of His Excellency President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the Filipino people, I wish to convey our warmest greetings to the Government and people of Switzerland on the occasion of the 729th Founding Anniversary of the Swiss Confederation. I congratulate Ambassador Gaschen on the one-year anniversary of his arrival in the Philippines.[1]
The union of the original three Alpine cantons in 1291[2] began the process of confederation for Switzerland, which evolved to become a lasting bastion of diversity, democracy, and neutrality and therefore sanity—which always plays an essential role even in the most violent periods of history when sides must be taken; but there are always the innocent and hapless who fall through the cracks. Someone’s got to catch them. Why God made the Swiss.
These collective values helped transform Switzerland into one of the most developed countries in the world, while maintaining a distinct identity derived from the richness of its history, the depth of its culture, and the discretion of its best practices. Not surprisingly, and with typical irony, Switzerland often does the opposite of its hero, Schiller’s William Tell. Switzerland is a gentleman — or a lady of the finest breeding and she never tells; that, as I have remarked, has enabled it do much good work in the world without inviting accusations of interference and provoking adverse reactions to its life-saving work.
Filipinos have a similar heritage but are far from the same. Our identity is likewise rooted in multiple ethnicities; and we promote diversity globally as our migrant workers become responsible members of society wherever they are. We are at the stage that surprised me as one that the Swiss also passed through. Sitting on the floor of our dorm corridor, a Canadian I befriended for the similarity of our dour natures, remarked in passing that he grew up with Swiss nannies and maids. I was stunned. Swiss? Bank accounts? Domestic workers? But his family had long been wealthy and distinguished. There our similarity ends. We have not the same discretion and discipline as the Swiss; nor the love of things small but exquisitely made and timelessly dependable. And we are indubitably Latin in our exuberance and its despondent opposite.
But one thing stands out, the tolerance only for democracy, an instant suspicion of authority, and a passionate affection for freedom are equally ingrained in us by our revolutionary past and by our recent historic achievement in restoring all of that which we had lost; but without a drop of blood shed. And we are and shall always be jealously protective of these birthrights and continue to demand the greatest respect for our sovereignty from the international community. Amity has limits and they are perforce very narrow in the world we’ve always lived in.
And as the world order is defined by an increasingly competitive dynamic, especially in the Asia Pacific Region, the Philippines seeks to strike the optimum balance in pursuing its own security and progress. Our shared aspirations must continue to drive productive cooperation between the Philippines and Switzerland.
Since the opening of Switzerland’s first Consulate in Asia in Manila in 1862, and the formal establishment of diplomatic relations in 1957, Switzerland has been a small, but more important, a most constant partner of the Philippines. The Zuellig presence has been a testament to that.
The Filipino people will forever be grateful for the Swiss Government’s assistance in the restitution of the stolen wealth of the dictatorship which we so fabulously toppled in a manner that is the envy of the civilized world — and the abiding fear of aspiring autocrats. Never again.
I am optimistic that the signing in 2016 of the free trade agreement between the Philippines and the members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) will boost the modest but growing economic relations between our two countries.
The regular conduct of consultations in the political and economic spheres will sustain the enhancement of our cooperation.
I am certain that the forward momentum of our relations will continue, especially as the global community works together during this pandemic. May I invite everyone to join me in a toast:
To the enduring partnership and mutual respect between our countries and peoples; and
To the good health and success of President Simonetta Sommaruga, the members of the Federal Council, and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. Mabuhay!
END
[1] Ambassador Alain Gaschen arrived in Manila on 04 August 2019.
[2] The founding of Switzerland is traced to the alliance of the Alpine cantons of Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwald)