New US envoy: RP a ‘dangerous’ post

US Ambassador to the Philippines and Palau Francis Ricciardone Jr. said yesterday his predecessors had warned him that a Philippine posting was a "dangerous" assignment.

"They warned me of the dangers of coming to the Philippines," Ricciardone admitted to the staff of the US Embassy in Manila during welcome rites for him yesterday.

"They warned me of the danger of seduction that I faced," he added. And the seductress was irresistible.

Ricciardone said he was told that he would "fall in love with the Philippines."

Ricciardone, who is married, is already excited about going scuba diving, hiking, enjoying the beach and the mountains in the Philippines.

"Maybe I can make it a personal crusade to promote (the country’s) tourism," he said.

Ricciardone arrived Monday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to take up his official duties and finally fill in the position vacated by his predecessor almost two years ago.

Ricciardone will call on President Arroyo a week after his arrival to present his credentials.

Although he gave no assurance of amending the travel advisory warning US nationals against traveling to the country, Ricciardone vowed to help promote Philippine tourism.

"We have to put out as honest a set of facts as we can, but I, for one, would like to go anywhere I can reasonably go in the Philippines," he told reporters after a courtesy call on Vice President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr. yesterday at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Asked about his impression of the country, he said the imbalance in the US-RP relationship is "embarrassing."

Filipinos know a lot about the US but few Americans know about the Philippines, he noted.

"It’s kind of an imbalance," he said. "I hope the Philippines will move forward and deal with some of these issues that give people the wrong impression so that more Americans will come to visit, have a vacation here, (and the Philippines will) become a tourist haven...and have more American investors. I hope we can address that."

In his Dec. 11, 2001 statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ricciardone noted the maturing partnership between the United States and the Philippines.

He said this new footing for US-RP relations is the result of the efforts of the leaders working shoulder-to-shoulder to advance mutual cooperation on all fronts.

"Under the dynamic new leadership in both our countries, American-Philippine relations are coming of age. It will be my privilege and responsibility to carry forward the new inputs that President Bush and President Macapagal-Arroyo have given to US-Philippine cooperation. Our cooperation covers many national purposes and programs, represented in three watchwords: prosperity, security, and service," he said.

Ricciardone was confirmed by the US Senate on Feb. 4 after the chamber realized the urgency of having an official in Manila especially at this time when the Abu Sayyaf has yet to release safely American hostages missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham. The Burnhams were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf, which is on the US list of terrorist groups, in May 27 last year from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan.

Aside from this, his presence in Manila at this time is also deemed to be most important because of the participation of hundreds of US troops in the "Balikatan 02-1" joint military exercises on Basilan island.

The US government had not assigned an ambassador to the country since Ambassador Thomas Hubbard was recalled in 2000. The US Embassy instead operated under the supervision of charge d’affaires Michael Malinowski, who is now ambassador to Nepal.

The DFA had been informed last week through a note verbale by the US Embassy about the new ambassador’s arrival.