New US envoy here, commits sustained aid in typhoon areas

MANILA, Philippines - US Ambassador-designate Philip Goldberg arrived in Manila Monday night as his country committed to sustain assistance to the Philippines when it starts undertaking the critical stage of rehabilitating typhoon-hit areas.

In his arrival message, Goldberg said he came “at a moment of great challenge in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda.”

“But we feel motivated by your spirit and impressed by your determination to rebuild lives and livelihoods in the tradition of ‘damayan,’” he said.

The new US ambassador is expected to play a key role in ongoing US efforts to help the Philippines deal with the devastation wrought by Yolanda last Nov. 8.

“We will be there also as you rebuild,” he said.

Goldberg was sworn in as US ambassador to the Philippines last Nov. 21.

Secretary of State John Kerry administered the oath to Goldberg as Washington’s point person in Manila in ceremonies at the Department of State a few days after the US Senate gave its concurrence to his appointment.

Kerry broke tradition for the third time since he took over the State Department by personally swearing in Goldberg – a task normally performed by a deputy secretary or an undersecretary.

The other two envoys sworn in by Kerry were Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones in June and Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy earlier this month.

After he took his oath, Goldberg said, “I head to Manila with mixed emotions. I’m excited and honored to be going to the Philippines, a country with which we share so much history. At the same time, it’s hard to think of the suffering of so many people in the Philippines in recent weeks and all they have endured without a touch of sadness and without being moved.”