British Ambassador Asif Ahmad began his Philippine tour of duty in the aftermath of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” He assisted in the peace process in Mindanao, helped provide counterterrorism training for the police and military, eased the visa application process, and won the hearts of Filipinos with his fluent Tagalog.

“I’ve tried to maintain a strong public profile so people know who we are and what we think,” said Ahmad, who, after four years in the Philippines, leaves for a new post abroad.

He was recently knighted with the Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG)—given to high-ranking, nonmilitary British officials who have made major contributions to foreign service. The conferment, bestowed on Queen Elizabeth’s birthday, gives him the title Asif Ahmad CMG.

This month, Ahmad starts his stint as High Commissioner (the equivalent of Ambassador in Commonwealth countries) in Jamaica and the Bahamas.

A British Muslim, Ahmad was born to an intellectual Pakistani family in London. His late father was a journalist, broadcaster and producer for BBC radio and, later, a diplomat.

Ahmad was sent to international schools where he acquired a global perspective. At a young age, he was exposed to politics and VIPs. He witnessed history, such as the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

His mother, an authority on social services, wrote “Black Perspectives in Social Work,” a book for professionals working in migrant communities. She also set up Beijing’s first international school in 1969.

Ahmad speaks several languages, including French and his native Sindhi. Long before being assigned to Manila, he took a five-month course in Filipino.

He will leave the country with memories of its citizens’ humanity, which he said is their strength.

“If somebody comes from the province, a neighbor or relative will find space for them on the floor,” Ahmad pointed out. “If people are short of money, somebody will give a helping hand.”

Ahmad recalled that 10 days after presenting his credentials to then President Noynoy Aquino in 2013, “Yolanda” ravaged Leyte.

He was able to quickly mobilize relief resources and dispatch British troops and aid workers to hard-to-reach areas. The UK provided P14 billion in aid and over 13,000 military personnel.

Grounded

“I believe in being grounded,” Ahmad said. “I’ve always had an affinity with people who find themselves in misfortune. Delivering aid to ‘Yolanda’ victims was deeply moving. I learned about the Filipino character, how they will share whatever they have.”

“When we first delivered aid,” he continued, “we gave some people more. Upon replenishment, we found they distributed the amount among themselves. You see the true nature of Filipinos who have lost everything.”

He looked back on the Bhola cyclone in 1970 that claimed 300,000 lives in East
Pakistan (now Bangladesh). This happened after the tension between East Pakistan and the central government that set off the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
The Pakistani military raided the university compound in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he was nearly killed.

Ahmad was also moved by Filipinos’ faith and tolerance. In Tacloban, the locals built a temporary chapel that was packed during Sunday Mass.

“It’s like people queuing in the rain during Holy Week,” he said. “There is no jeepney or LRT. There’s something self-
regulating. They queue for hours to complete their journey.”

Mindanao

Since 2008, Ahmad, at the time the head of the Southeast Asia and Pacific Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has been involved in the Mindanao peace process.

In last year’s national elections season, Ahmad went the extra mile, getting to know presidential and vice presidential candidates. He went around the country to feel the pulse of the voting population.

“If we had not traveled before the elections, we would not have gotten our prediction correct. We predicted that Duterte would win and Leni Robredo would be vice president. Weeks before the elections, we sent the report to London,” he said.

Ahmad explained that the homework is necessary, “because we prepare what is government policy—how it’s going to change, if things will be better or worse for our interest, how we communicate with the new administration. If we sat in a bubble in Manila, we would have wrongly said, ‘Oh no, there’s no chance. Duterte is a probinsiyano. He will never get anywhere.’”

To understand the Philippine situation, Ahmad said he hired a political analyst whom he likened to a ferret: “The ferret goes into little holes, scoots around, finds things, lines them all up and takes them.”

Ahmad also raised his country’s profile with the annual Great British Festival at Bonifacio High Street. The event showcases different aspects of the British brand—popular culture, cuisine, and even schools

“You start with the country brand,” he explained. “It has to positive. If people have never heard of your country, you’re nowhere. We had to work very hard to challenge the space that might be occupied by Japan, Korea and the United States. I think we’ve succeed in the United Kingdom being recognized as who we are, what we are.”

The festival also coincided with the resumption of Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to Europe, starting with London.
In 2013, the European Union lifted the ban on PAL when the flag carrier promised to comply with international air safety standards. Ahmad collaborated with the Civil Aviation Authority, Heathrow Airport and British civil aviation officials in talking with commercial airlines which could share with PAL their unused slots in Heathrow.

There has since been a 24 percent increase of travel from Manila to London.

“I believe you can do the hardest stuff only when you can do strong government-to-
government relations, or be a trusted advisor on the peace process or economic reform or trade,” Ahmad said.

Clear objectives

Asked how he makes things happen, Ahmad replied modestly: “I’m very clear in my objectives. I know you can’t do it overnight. Be determined to succeed and keep it sustained. You treat Filipinos as partners. You develop trust.”

Having been an ambassador to Thailand and yet again to the Philippines and Palau, he valued the importance of an efficient team.
“Quite often, I have to do very little,” he said with a chuckle.

A typical day in the Philippines was never routine. On the day of the interview, he was a guest on ANC to discuss Brexit; and then went to visit the EU office; met with Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jess Dureza; followed by a working lunch; proceeded to a media tea party; before holding a teleconference update with London.

Off hours, the 61-year-old Ahmad plays tennis with friends from the diplomatic corps and business circles. It was during one tennis game where he met his future partner, Kim del Mundo, a former PAL flight attendant.

Asked how old she is, Ahmed demurred: “She’s young enough. One should never discuss a lady’s age.”—CONTRIBUTED