UOG hosting book launch for PH consul general

The University of Guam will host the launch event for the new book The State Department Boys: Philippine Diplomacy and Its American Heritage written by the Philippine Consul General for Guam Marciano R. de Borja.

The book launch will be at 4pm, Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the Multipurpose Room No. 129 of the Jesus and Eugenia Leon Guerrero School of Business and Public Administration building on the UOG campus. The event is free and open to the public.

De Borja is a career diplomat and is currently the consul general for the Philippines in Guam. He previously served as the Senior Special Assistant in the Office of the Undersecretary for Special and Ocean Concerns at the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila. He has also served as Minister at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York. This is his third book.

“We are pleased to host Consul General De Borja and hear about his research into the Philippine’s transition from colony to independence,” UOG president Dr. Robert Underwood said. “His book highlights political changes and real lives of people who lived through a pivotal time in the Philippines.”

The book is set in July 1946 and focuses on a group of pioneer Filipino diplomats chosen to become the first officer corps of the Philippine Foreign Service. The group was affectionately known as the “State Department Boys.” The group played pivotal roles in Philippine diplomacy and helped the Philippine Republic find its place in the international community.

According to Albert F. del Rosario, Secretary of Foreign Affairs for the Philippines, the book is “an insightful look at the evolution of Philippine diplomacy against the backdrop of a fledgling republic. …The book is not only a vivid account of the travails and triumphs of the so-called trailblazers; it also puts a spotlight on the Philippines’ progress in asserting its rightful place in the community of nations. This truly groundbreaking narrative on the State Department Boys makes their collective experience no longer a mere footnote in our diplomatic history; they are now the acknowledged pioneers in our national pursuit to achieve an independent, pragmatic, and principled Philippine foreign policy.”

The book is available for purchase online at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training website, adst.org under publications. It costs $38 for a hardcover copy and $26 per paperback copy. (UOG)