Back in July, I wrote that I firmly believed that the US-Philippines Society (US-PS), as well as US-Philippines cooperation and friendship, would grow stronger in the coming years, especially under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM).
Those words could not be any truer today, in just three months’ time.
Back in June, then-President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and then-incoming First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos were able to grace the welcome reception for the US-Philippines Society’s Board of Directors that was hosted by Philippine Ambassador to the United States, my good friend, Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez. He is, no doubt, one of the primary reasons why our relationship with the United States has remained strong.
The then-welcome reception was for the third bi-national Board of Directors meeting held here, the first face-to-face meeting after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. A four-day mission was also held by the US delegation led by US-PS co-chair John D. Negroponte, former ambassador to the Philippines and Deputy Secretary of State.
On PBBM’s first official visit to New York City, it was the US-Philippines Society’s turn to hold a welcome reception for him at a luncheon held in his honor at The Brook Club. The President and his delegation of government officials and businessmen were warmly welcomed to the venue by co-host Frank G. Wisner, a former ambassador to the Philippines, on behalf of the US-PS.
At the luncheon, the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) head Sabin Aboitiz delivered the message of US-PS co-chair Manuel V. Pangilinan for more business cooperation and strengthened friendship between the United States and the Philippines.
US-PS co-chair Negroponte, a former US ambassador to the Philippines and the United Nations, emphasized the significance of PBBM’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly and on the continuation of the dialogue that started in June at the Manila welcome reception.
PBBM began his speech by recognizing all the members of the US-PS who “have formed this great alliance system, not only at the national level, but also at the personal and the commercial, the financial, the diplomatic levels through the time that the society existed.”
The President’s mention of this brought me back to 10 years ago when chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and I attended the launch of US-PS in Washington D.C. My, how time has flown.
PBBM mentioned that the Marcos Jr. administration’s policy was to move towards a more open economy to address the challenges of these times of crises. The President also iterated his position that he did not see “a future for the Philippines that does not include an even stronger partnership with the United States. Our formal partnership of 70-plus years in terms of the defense treaties will continue, must continue to evolve as the geopolitical situation changes.”
“In the same manner, our business partnerships must also evolve to take into account new technologies,” the President said. He then invited “our friends and allies in the United States to be a balancing and stabilizing force for rapid growth that we are hoping to see in the Philippines.”
In closing, PBBM thanked guests and stressed the importance of strengthening business partnerships in pursuit of shared policy goals.
Accompanying PBBM at this luncheon were Speaker Martin Romualdez, Sen. Mark Villar, Finance Secretary Ben Diokno, Trade Secretary Fred Pascual (a former member of the US-PS Board of Directors), NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Felipe Medalla.
US-Philippines Society directors and guests from the Philippines that were also present were: Ambassador-at-Large Joey Antonio; Enrique Razon; Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala; Doris Magsaysay-Ho; Carlos Mendoza; and Gerardo Borromeo; plus Debbie Tan, the chief of staff of MVP, and Ernesto Sta. Maria of TV 5 Global.
US-based Society directors and guests present were former Ambassadors to the Philippines Thomas Hubbard and Harry Thomas, Honorary Consul Henry Howard, and Society president Ambassador John F. Maisto. Honorary chair Maurice Greenberg was represented by Richard Shaak, CEO of Starr Insurance Holdings, Inc.
The US-Philippines Society (US-PS) was organized in Washington, DC on May 1, 2012, during the first official visit to the United States of then President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, to “realize the vision of its founders to create a new and timely mechanism for elevating the Philippines’ profile in the United States.”
It is “a private sector initiative organized to broaden and expand interaction and understanding in areas of security, trade, investments, tourism, the environment, history, education and culture between the United States and the Philippines.”
Its mission is “to build on the rich and longstanding historical ties between the two nations and help to bring that unique relationship fully into the 21st century at a junction when US policy interests are increasingly focused on East Asia.”
The Society’s current executive director is the indefatigable Hank Hendrickson.
The Philippines is the United States’ oldest security ally and partner in Southeast Asia. It is through the efforts of groups like the US-Philippines Society that this alliance, this partnership, will remain true and unwavering for now and for the many years to come.
From sea to shining sea.