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Marciano Paynor, Jr.: All in a day's work
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The interview with Philippine Consulate General-San Francisco (PCGSF) Consul General Marciano A. Paynor Jr. was scheduled for 9:30 a.m., but at 9:25, we were stuck in downtown traffic.

Knowing that the Paynor was strict on time, I prepared an apologetic speech I can use when I reach the Consulate Office.    Fortunately, I didn’t have to use it because he was also running late, since he was flying back from Seattle and his flight was delayed for an hour.

But my apprehensions about interviewing Paynor stops at making sure that I’m on time.  Other than that, having talked and met with him several times in the past, Paynor has become one of my favorite persons to interview.

“I come in at 8 am, as the consulate is open at 8:30,” he said. “I invite my staff for coffee, I start on my documents, check e-mails, because anything that needs to be signed should be disposed by the afternoon.”

It may sound like a simple task, but Paynor’s responsibilities extends beyond just checking his mails or signing documents.   Aside from leading the PCGSF, he is also Chief of Protocol and Arroyo’s presidential assistant on state and foreign visits.  This means that every time the president goes on a foreign or state visit, he has to be there also.   

There are several areas of the PCGSF – consular, trade, tourism, cultural, and on the side, political.  “As a whole, that’s our function,” Paynor said and added, “Basically we are here to answer questions and to resolve problems.” (See related story about consular services.)

But that is quite a challenge for Paynor and his staff at PCGSF, as their jurisdiction covers Northern California, Northern Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Utah.  “That’s a total population of 750,000 Filipinos and Filipino Americans,” he said and then explained, “We are only 30 here, so that’s a ratio of 1 consulate employee for every 25,000 Filipinos.”  Admittedly, he knows that they are swamped with work and yet you’ll never see anyone at the PCGSF frowning or complaining.  This is mainly due to the leadership and knowledge Paynor is imbibing in his staff.  “I always tell my staff that we are a service-oriented organization.  They should not be condescending, they should always resolve the problem in favor of the applicants,” he said.  He also reminds his staff to be very cognizant of every complaint.  “Humanity is part of our work, body language is very important.”

Aside from the regular services the PCGSF offer, plus the other areas Paynor has mentioned, he also gets about six to ten invitations to Filipino community events every week, usually during Saturdays and Sundays.  “Just last Saturday, I went to three events,” he said.  So how does he manage?  He usually divides the invitations amongst the other consuls, not only just for necessity, but also for experience. “I want them to experience everything I do also, that is why we go to the smallest to the biggest event we are invited to.”  It is a hard job, he said but for most part, he and his dedicated staff already know what their responsibilities are.  “We are on call 24 hours.  We know that this is our work, and we accept that,” Paynor explained.

Paynor sees the force of the Filipinos in Northern California as something to be reckoned with, if only they step up to it.  “It is time to stop bickering and discussing the ills of the Philippines without offering solutions,” he said and added, “We should realize that 99 percent of FilAms are very well-situated and well-educated.  Before complaining about things back home, we should fix things here first.  We have the numbers, but we don’t count, because we never get ourselves involved.”  He also assuage this philosophy with what former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos, said, “Establish yourself here, look back, see what you can do and how you can help your country.”

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