Bright prospects ahead

The diplomatic reception last Thursday that served as my first public engagement and marked my formal introduction to the officials of the State Department, members of the Washington diplomatic corps and policy analysts, allowed me to renew old friendships and establish new ones. It was good to meet Ambassador Nathan Alexander Sales who is the State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scott Busby, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Felter, as well as Representatives Bobby Scott of Virginia and Madeleine Bordallo of Guam.

My assumption as Philippine Ambassador to Washington is certainly auspicious and timely, with President Donald Trump’s recent trip to Asia giving reassurance that the US is solid in its commitment to the region and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Likewise, the rapport between President Trump and President Duterte further reaffirmed and strengthened the foundation for the decades-long alliance and friendship between the Philippines and the United States.

Together with our team at the Embassy, we expect to foster a deeper and more dynamic partnership between the two nations in terms of economic, security and people-to-people relationships. The latter of course is a key area that we will also focus on considering the estimated four million Filipino-Americans who make up a large and important segment in the US. Both Presidents Duterte and Trump recognize the strong personal relationships and the numerous institutions that enhance the connection between Filipinos and Americans.

We obviously have very strong common interests and shared concerns, like terrorism and illegal drugs, which is the main focus of our attention. The clear messaging for us to US officials especially at the US Congress is to emphasize the dangerous link between terrorism and the illegal drugs trade. The attack in Marawi City by ISIS-affiliated terrorist groups against our Armed Forces, and how these terrorists got their resources, was very clear and confirmed by US intelligence operatives.

The other day, I met with the Executive Committee of the US-Philippines Society, a non-profit group that was established in 2012, for the purpose of elevating the profile of the Philippines in the United States. USPS founding director Tom Hubbard is an old friend of mine, having had numerous activities with him during his tour of duty as US Ambassador to the Philippines. Joining Tom were USPS president Ambassador John Maisto, executive director Hank Hendrickson, and former Deputy State Secretary and Ambassador to the Philippines John Negroponte (who co-chairs the organization with Manny Pangilinan).

In my view, the US-Philippines Society is a good institution that could help the Philippines especially in the area of trade and people-to-people relationships as it seeks to highlight the many opportunities that the Philippines has to offer in terms of business and investments. The series of economic reforms undertaken by the Philippines has provided the momentum that has made the country one of the fastest growing economies in the world. For nine consecutive quarters, expansion exceeded six percent, and growth last quarter was at 6.9 percent.

The growth and resilience displayed by the Philippines makes it a very promising investment destination especially with the continued efforts of the Duterte administration to open up the economy to more foreign participation. Aside from that, the Philippines has a young and dynamic population – a demographic sweet spot as Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez describes it – along with an ambitious infrastructure program with vital projects worth $170 billion that will be rolled out in the next five years.

The informal Trade and Investment Framework Agreement or TIFA meeting between trade delegates from the Philippines and the US was also very encouraging, with preliminary discussions centering on the prospects for a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. Updates on key trade policy issues and concerns regarding market access were also reviewed.

President Duterte on many occasions has stated that the Philippines is America’s best friend in Asia. This will be our guiding light as our team at the Embassy will work to ensure that the partnership between the United States and the Philippines remains to be a clear and decisive commitment to the principles that underpin the alliance. We look forward to bright prospects ahead, and I have every confidence that we will be successful in our mission with the support and partnership of leaders in the US government, the Fil-American community, our friends and all stakeholders.

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Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has instructed our consulate in Los Angeles to provide assistance in every way we can to Filipinos who are along the path of wildfires affecting Southern California – 125,000 Filipinos live in these areas alone. There are four active wildfires raging, with 25,000 Filipinos living along the path of four active wildfires in Ventura and Los Angeles, with another one also raging in San Diego.

The wildfires are very intense due to extreme humidity and the strong Santa Ana winds – a very lethal combination that has also made it difficult to contain the fires. We were told by some firefighters that containment will have to be done by air, but erratic winds have spread the fires so fast, with plumes of smoke being blown towards the ocean and obscuring visibility badly in the process. 

Our consulate general in Los Angeles headed by Consul General Adelio Cruz is on top of monitoring the situation and coordinating with concerned government agencies. Hotlines have been set up and emergency shelters have also been put up in several locations. As of this writing, more than 150,000 residents have been evacuated and fortunately, we have not received any report of casualties among Filipino nationals so far.

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