Ambassador Grace Relucio-Princesa: Filipina Warrior

Lists to remember

Striving to ‘infect’ the community with a more progressive attitude, the Ambassador has also started promoting her advocacies underlining emphatically the importance of national pride and discipline.  During her animated and impassioned speeches in gatherings and events, the Ambassador has been zealously driving her message with her list of notable ‘Filipino things.’ For which, she enthuses, “I will keep repeating this until we learn it and it comes out of our ears.”

According to the Ambassador, there are “Five Things the Philippines can be proud of” – our sense of God, our rich natural resources, democracy and  gender sensitivity.  She then adds that the Filipino people are known the world over because of “The Three Fs” – faith, family and friendship.  “We believe in God.  We love our families, and we are known to be fun-loving and friendly people.”

“But,” she counters, “’we often forget that we are ‘maharlika.’ Lahat tayo, ang dugo natin ay pula. We have to remember how rich we are, how royal we are. Dapat tayong magmalaki. Pacquiao is not the only one who is world class,” she asserts.

“However,” she says emphatically, “We need get our act together. Starting with our choice of leaders, because we need to look for ‘Three Things’ from the people who lead us – they should be makadiyos, makatao at matino.”

She ends her speeches by launching into the ‘Two Songs” she says each Filipino has to learn to sing – “Sino Ako” a spiritual number to remind us that our lives are just borrowed from the Creator, and “Ako ay Pilipino,” the patriotic anthem popularized by Kuh Ledesma that speaks of the richness of Filipino culture.

In the din of thunderous applause, between Filipinos who were moved by the speech, those in enthusiastic agreement with the ideas put forward, and those who were a bit disoriented and didn’t know what to make of the uncommon approach they witnessed at that moment – one thing was certain, there is a new type of leadership in town; one that does not hesitate to foster a unique intimacy with the community, and one too that does not waver when it comes to telling it like it is and to getting on with what has to be done.

It reminds one of the unique talent of the Filipina – the gift of having the soft touch to be nurturing, welcoming and alluring, coupled with the guts to be fierce, resolute and decisive in the face of obligations and ambitions; the multifaceted persona that puts mother, wife, sister, daughter and warrior woman in the same breath. Indeed, there is no dichotomy there.

“This [job] is a gift, a blessing and also a challenge. I am here to wash the feet of other people. Yung position na ito – ginagamit sa pagsisilbi at pagmamahal,” the Ambassador tells me, looking out into the panoramic 50^th floor view, as restaurant staff shuffled quietly about preparing to close Vu’s, signaling that our interview has come to an end.  She says thoughtfully, “I believe there was a reason why I was in Iraq and now here in the UAE.”