A soft spot for Philippines

I have met dozens of foreign ambassadors to the Philippines since the time of my father General Carlos P. Romulo and, of course, during my stint in DFA.

Of all the countries represented, I have observed that the United States has been consistent in sending their finest.  They were all career ambassadors: Chip Bohlen, Bill Sullivan, David Newsom, Richard Murphy, Mike Armacost, Nicolas Platt, Steve Bosworth, Frank Wisner, John Negroponte, Tom Hubbard and Frank Ricciardone.

Interestingly, these former American ambassadors continue to provide sustained support for the Philippines and find reasons to return to Manila. In the recent past, I can confirm eight of those mentioned belong to that unique circle of friends who have a soft spot for us. I would also include in this circle other Americans: Maurice (Hank) Greenberg of CV Starr, who has been supportive for decades, as well as Henry Howard, who was an AFS Scholar in Cagayan de Oro in the 1970s.

The growth of the insurance industry was at its height when Hank was the chairman of AIG and its subsidiary, Philamlife. Henry has established a scholarship fund for high schools students in Mindanao. To date, 100 underprivileged students have gone to Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan.  In sum, we can always count on the sustained support of these Americans.

US-Philippines society

Four years ago, Tom Hubbard and I conceived and proposed the establishment of a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization supporting the cause of the Philippines in the United States.  

In 2012, the US Philippines Society was launched in Washington, DC in the presence of President Benigno Aquino. The co-chairman on the US side is John Negroponte, who is currently the vice-chairman of McLarty Associates, together with Manuel V. Pangilinan of PLDT and First Pacific.

There are also three board members from that circle mentioned above:  Frank Wisner, Richard Murphy and of course Tom Hubbard. The honorary co-chairs are Maurice (Hank) Greenberg of C.V. Starr  and Washington SyCip, the founder of SGV (the first supporter and sponsor of the Society). Also joining this unique circle are the president of the Society, Ambassador John Maisto, and its executive director Hank Hendrickson. Both diplomats were once assigned to the US Embassy in Manila.

Last Wednesday, Ambassador Maisto announced the first recipient of the Carlos P. Romulo award for his support of the Society and the strengthening of the bilateral relations between the two countries. That was Washington SyCip. The second recipient will be John Negroponte, who was delayed in arrival due to the blizzard in the US Northeast.    

The Society’s board of directors is in town this week. Their schedule included briefings by the Congressional leaders and Cabinet officials, as well as the business community. The highlight of their visit is their meeting with President Aquino scheduled today. It is important to note that the American board members, most of whom came all the way to Manila at their own expenses in the expectation that they will be able to bring back with them more good news that would help further raise the profile of the Philippines in the United States.

“Our meeting with President Aquino presents a timely opportunity for us to learn more about all the exciting new developments in the Philippines,” said Ambassador Negroponte. “We also want to examine ways on how we can be even more effective in carrying out our mission of raising awareness in the US about today’s Philippines and promote business opportunities.”

“The Society has been an effective partner in sharing the Philippine narrative to mainstream Americans,” said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr., an ex officio member of the board. “We expect the Society to continue helping us deliver the good news about the Philippines upon their return to the US.”   

Ambassador Cuisia said that since its launching, the Society has not only been busy raising the profile of the Philippines in America, but has also been actively supporting efforts to assist communities in Leyte and Samar that were devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

Last year, the Society channeled more than $2 million worth of assistance to typhoon victims from donations received from various US-based groups, community organizations and private individuals, as well as raised funds from the “After the Storm” benefit concert at Washington’s famous Kennedy Center.

According to Ambassador John Maisto, the Society was able to assist typhoon victims by working closely with more than a dozen recipient organizations, including the PhilamLife Foundation, the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF), the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), the PHINMA Foundation and the SM Foundation.

“The US-Philippines Society has also been successful in strengthening its bonds with the Philippines through close partnerships that brought programs on education, governance, conflict-resolution, resilience and the dynamic Philippine economy to influential groups in the US,” said Ambassador Maisto. “We look forward to building on this solid record with an ambitious agenda for 2015.”