At His Nation's Service

With nearly 30 years of experience in the field of diplomacy, British ambassador Daniel Pruce is keen on strengthening relations between his country and the Philippines, writes Marga Manlapig

- Marga Manlapig

In mid-2017, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom formally announced that Ambassador Asif Ahmad CMG was moving on to a new assignment and that another veteran diplomat would take his place as British ambassador to the Philippines. While the news itself was enough to cause a stir in the diplomatic community in Manila, what truly caught the Filipino public’s attention was the new ambassador’s introductory video—in which he spoke in fairly fluent Tagalog.

When one brings the subject up with Ambassador Daniel Pruce, he answers with a merry laugh and explains that learning the language was something to do while waiting in the wings, so to speak, to take up the position in Manila.

“I started [my tenure as ambassador] in August 2017, but I got the job a year and a half before that,” he explains. “I took the time to learn a little of the Filipino language. I took lessons in the UK with two great tutors who were very patient with me as I tried to come to terms with the language. Even now, I am still taking lessons and, as I always tell my colleagues, ‘nag-aaral ako ng Tagalog kahit na napaka-hirap nito para sa akin’ [I am learning Tagalog even if it is very difficult for me].”