EMBASSY of Switzerland Counselor and Deputy Head of Mission Raoul Imbach carries with him a great smile everywhere he goes. He is also unassuming and easily approachable.
His professional career started out with a leading oil company but then quickly evolved into a diplomatic career that has now spanned more than 31 years. During that time, he has moved up the ranks to become his country’s second highest-ranking embassy official in the country.
But beyond that, it has been quite an open secret that Imbach lives a very colorful and adventure-filled life. It is a life that, one could say, only happens in the movies, but with one wrinkle—Imbach has actually lived it all.
Imagine the possibilities
Imbach lives near the Swiss Embassy in Makati City, which makes it easy for him to practically walk to work every day.
He gets to the embassy ahead of everyone when he arrives at 6:45 am. From then on, it is usually long hours for him doing bits of everything, including answering e-mails, paperworks, meetings, more meetings, and attending functions and events for and in behalf of the embassy.
Imbach said his usual early start at the office is nothing special when compared to the daily grind of his coworkers, with some of them having to travel two to three hours just to get to the embassy.
“I admire them. They are the ones who should be praised for having the commitment despite the tough traffic conditions,” Imbach said.
So, outside of walking to the embassy, Imbach usually travels around the city using his 125cc motorbike. He also has a big 650cc motorbike he uses when traveling to places on the outskirts of Metro Manila.
“It is exciting to be in bikes. It gets me around quickly. Everybody looks at me with a lot of curiosity,” Imbach said.
Usually, Imbach can be seen in his small motorbike, having a helmet on and wearing his daily office attire, which usually consists of a coat and tie.
Imbach has a lot of fun traveling on a motorbike, and although he has never been in an accident, there have been several close calls with undisciplined drivers on the road.
Outside of the likelihood of being the only dignitary in the country riding on two-wheeled vehicles, Imbach is also a terrific musician.
Imbach has a band, born in Costa Rica, which he called The Wild Tortillas. He fronts the band and they could easily switch gears, from rock ‘n’ roll, contemporary pop, Latin, all the way to jazz, depending on their audience.
Just on Saturday, they performed at a cancer-awareness concert in Makati City, dubbed “The Season of Life: Joy, Hope and Love.”
His discography is impressive with 11 albums credited to him, with 10 of them containing original compositions. He has the staying power, which most artists and bands could only aspire.
Imbach said they could do a set list that could cover three hours of performance if needed. Together with his band, they have performed at the Rizal Park, Cultural Center of the Philippines, shopping centers, several provinces, hotels and in private shows.
It does not end there. Imbach is also a chef who happened to own a restaurant during his tour of duty in Bolivia. It was also there where he became, as he described it, the No. 2 man in the Swiss Embassy.
“I just wanted to have the experience of doing it,” Imbach said of his restaurateur days where he did Swiss dishes along with creations all his own.
Imbach said that one of his regular customers there was the former vice president of Bolivia, who he described as a slim man with a huge appetite.
When the president of Bolivia died and the vice president assumed office, diplomats went to congratulate him. According to Imbach, when it was his turn to congratulate the new president, he had a surprised look and asked him what he was doing there.
“I told him that I am also a diplomat and that I was with the Swiss Embassy,” Imbach said. It was the time when the new president realized that the person who cooked for him in his favorite restaurant was, in reality, no ordinary cook.
That is not all, though. In the Philippines Imbach has gone diving in various parts of the country and he is also now into kite gliding.
Walk on the wild side
Lou Reed in the early part of the 1970s came out with the song that tackled drugs, sex and prostitution. Imbach’s life is very much far from it, but it is safe to assume that he has a firsthand account of some of the ugly sides of life.
Imbach described his move into the diplomatic life as a mere “coincidence” that was dictated by a need to be together with his family.
He saw an advertisement for the foreign affairs service, took the written and oral examination, and after passing all of it, he has been part of the Swiss foreign service from then on.
Imbach went from being a trainee in Vienna for 20 months to his current designation as deputy head of mission.
After a brief stint in his home country and in Los Angeles in the United States, Imbach got his first tough posting in Nigeria.
“It was the most unusual posting. It was a tough environment. We had to travel in convoy or take the risk of being endangered. There was poverty and violence in the country and the police cannot do anything,” Imbach said.
Imbach, who at one point was even imprisoned in Nigeria, said he saw people stoned to death, thrown over the bridge and witnessed corpses lining the streets.
He told of the time when they were trapped on the road, his car was hammered and the police who were only a few hundred meters away did not even provide them with any form of assistance.
Then there was Costa Rica, which Imbach described as a peaceful, small country with fantastic climate.
However, he said that in Costa Rica, when the government changes, the entire police force also changes.
It was a far different environment than Nigeria, but Imbach said there were still small criminalities in the country, where he was also victimized when his house was broken into by thieves.
If small crimes were in Costa Rica, Imbach saw how the mafia operated in Russia during the end of the cold war.
“Social-security system was falling apart, the ruble had zero value and the mafia was buying everything. Personal safety was an issue,” Imbach said.
He said Moscow, back then, had the mafia starting to take over and security in the city was not good.
Later on there was his posting in Vietnam, where Imbach claimed he did not have much knowledge of the country at that time.
“I knew about the Vietnam War. It was an exotic and untouched country,” Imbach said.
Imbach now sees Vietnam as an amazing country with a lot of economic changes. He said it is a communist country but, at the same time, is very liberated in its ways.
After a short stint back in Switzerland, Imbach was posted in South Korea, which he described as a country with a huge language barrier.
“It is insular and closed. Not easy to make friends there. They are polite and respectful, but you remain an outsider. I can see the culture, but I cannot relate to the people,” Imbach said.
Imbach added that he admires the economic turnaround South Korea has achieved and the desire of its people to be the best at what they do.
“It is a very competitive society that leaves no place for those in second place,” Imbach said.
Throughout all his experiences, Imbach said he carries no regrets and, at the same time, thankful to still be alive.
The Philippine economy
Imbach first came into the country as a tourist 30 years ago. His posting here in the country is by choice and he described it as one of the best transition for him.
He said a lot has changed as compared to his first time in the country.
“The cities have changed. But if you step out of the cities, you will still see the same things. There is still poverty,” Imbach said.
However, he said, the current government of President Aquino has done an admirable job in turning the country around.
“It has achieved a lot. There is now good governance. The economy is doing well and the government’s priorities are channeled in the right direction,” Imbach said.
He said the current government also has gained the respect of the international community, with its strong stance on the maritime disputes it is involved in and its position on climate change.
However, he wants to see the country open up more for the effects of the strong economic gains to be felt by every Filipino and not just by a few families and companies.
Imbach sees the Philippines and Switzerland continuing with its strong relationship, as the two countries approach the 60th anniversary of its bilateral ties.
He said more Swiss companies are coming to the Philippines and they are hopeful that a free-trade agreement will finally be signed between the two sides.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano