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MANILA, Philippines?In the last remaining days of her tour of duty in the Philippines, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney was magnanimous in her appreciation for the Filipino people, paying tribute in particular to the late Press Secretary Cerge Remonde.
Kenney Thursday paid a farewell visit on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and was conferred the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu.
?It?s been a huge honor for me to be here in the Philippines, every minute of it. I will carry Filipinos in my heart wherever I go,? she told journalists after her meeting with Ms Arroyo.
?It?s the people. You can meet Filipinos everywhere in the world but nowhere is there such a great concentration, and I find the word for the kindness and compassion of the Filipinos to be beyond compare.?
Kenney leaves for home on Monday, ending a high-profile, three-year tour of duty that saw her flying to different parts of the country to oversee US aid development programs, meeting with secessionist rebels in Mindanao, personally leading outreach programs, even attending basketball games and guesting in TV shows.
Of Remonde, who died of sudden heart attack last Tuesday, she said: ?It?s hard to believe he?s not gonna come around the corner any minute and that?s hurtful.?
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Kenney was well-deserving of the Order of Sikatuna, which is conferred on diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states whose service fostered, developed and strengthened relations between their country and the Philippines.
?Ambassador Kenney has been a very good ambassador. She?s the only female ambassador who has been on the ground, even in basketball games and TV programs,? said Ermita.
?She was very active. I can imagine this was brought about by her experience. She was executive secretary to the former Secretary of State Colin Powell ? She?s really one of a kind,? he said.
Kenney said she was accepting the award on behalf of 2,000 American and Filipino colleagues at the United States Embassy ?who are proud to work here every day to make the lives of our citizens better.?
She said she was going back to Washington, D.C. to take care of her 86-year-old mother.
?My mother is 86 and needs me at home. So I will go home and look after my mother for that six months and depending on how she?s doing, I will see what I?ll do after that,? she said.
She thanked the Malacañang Press Corps for the ?kind? treatment of US officials.
?You?ve been meeting me with wonderful kindness but I see you?ve been wonderful to all of our official visitors and I appreciate that so deeply?Cabinet members, members of the US Congress have all found Malacañang Press Corps, you know, very kind and even and fair-tempered to people. I know how hard all of you work everyday, so thank you very much,? she said.
