Embattled PH Ambassador to Kuwait Shulan Primavera Hails From Bicol

2013_0613_shulan primavera3001 After a long wait, definitely the truth will set free whoever was or is encumbered on the sexual harassment case that was filed by an OFW from Kuwait against a Philippine ambassador to that mideast nation. We are referring to Ambassador Shulan Primavera who was accused by “Mabel,” a Filipina runaway maid, for alleged sexual harassment.

Because of this accusation, Primavera was recalled in November 2012 from his post back to the head office at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Padre Faura.

“Mabel” was an OFW who tried her luck in Kuwait but had to abscond from her abusive employer. The embassy ran to her rescue and eventually, the ambassador took her services as additional housemaid.

The complaint of Mabel was substantiated with the observation of previous three more Filipina maids of the ambassador “that although they did not witness the alleged molestation …. they said it was possible.” The 3 maids also provided the DFA fact-finding team the information that Primavera seemed to have made Mabel his favorite.

Already, the DFA’s committee on decorum and investigation recommended the filing of formal charges after its investigation “found probable cause based on testimonies and evidence gathered.”

On Wednesday, May 22, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary and spokesman Raul Hernandez, said Primavera would soon face a formal hearing after the charges were elevated against him based on a fact-finding investigation.

Writer-blogger Freda Contreras reacted on her blogpost on November 2012:

Amba Shulan, as he is fondly called by the Filipinos in Kuwait, is a very conscientious man who loves his career as a Diplomat, serving as such in almost four decades of his life. In the many years of my association with him, I can only give high praises to his good works which I have witnessed myself. He has never been involved in any wrongdoing – not only because he is protecting his good name but more so because, by nature, he is such a good and responsible public servant. This is the very first time, as far as I know, that his name has been dragged into this kind of an intrigue. How can one find fault in him when he has always been constantly doing what is only right and expected of him as representative of the Filipinos in Kuwait?

I came to personally know Amba Shulan when I was hired as a writer by Kuwait Times covering the Filipino community in June 1994. Our association continued until I left Kuwait Times in early 1996 and established an independent newspaper one after another till the early months of 1998. We continued to have contacts even when I was writing for Suite101.com, a writers’ portal on the web. He was always my most reliable source of information as far as the overseas Filipino workers in Kuwait are concerned and was always very cooperative and generous in sharing what he knows.

Amba Shulan is well-respected in Kuwait not only by the Filipinos but by members of the international community and Kuwaiti officials themselves. He has long established a good and working relationship with the host government which has made transactions smooth and on a timely manner. Diplomacy, as his work dictates, is his number one tool in dealing with all government officials and foreign dignitaries in Kuwait. He is really very good at it and his persona exudes of confidence, honesty and sincerity. One cannot miss seeing and feeling these in him. He is also very formal, something which readily commands respect from anyone who deals with him. He can be funny at times though but this seldom happens and only when he is in his unguarded moment away from his office or duty. He is one serious of a guy and will always make you feel like giving out only the best in you. He is straightforward and won’t allow short-cuts in any of the numerous transactions he deals with on a daily basis. He is also very frank and will never hesitate to tell you off if he finds you not conforming to the norm. Always bringing out the best in anyone he has contacts with, he sees to it that he, himself, leads and sets as an example.

It was no surprise to me when he was sent back to Kuwait in early 2010 as head of the Philippine Diplomatic Mission to Kuwait. This, in itself, is an indication of his proven track record of good governance. If there is something I really admire in him, it is his courage and expertise in facing whatever troubles that come his way. I know for sure that the current accusation won’t last and evil as it is, it won’t triumph over the goodness of Ambassador Primavera!

Ambassador Shulan Primavera hails from Lagonoy town and Naga city. He graduated at the University of Nueva Caceres with Bachelor of Science in Education and taught for sometime at the University High School before pursuing his dream career in the foreign service. At one time he was posted as consul-general at the Philippine consulate in San Francisco, USA, among his foreign assignments. He is due to retire soon from the service.

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