US execs to see Aquino, hope to bring back ‘more good news’ about PH

Former US Ambassador to the Philippines John Negroponte

WASHINGTON, DC — When the leadership of the US-Philippines Society led by Ambassador John Negroponte call on President Aquino in Manila next week, they expect to be able to bring back with them more good news about the Philippines.

Negroponte and other US-based personalities will be in Manila from 29 to 31 January to attend the annual board meeting of the US-Philippines Society, a Washington-based non-profit organization launched during President Aquino’s official visit to the US in 2012.

“Our meeting with President Aquino presents a timely opportunity for us to learn more about all the exciting new developments in the Philippines,” said Negroponte, who co-chairs the US-Philippines Society with Filipino tycoon Manuel Pangilinan.

“We also want to examine ways on how we can be even more effective in carrying out our mission of raising awareness in the US about today’s Philippines and promote business opportunities,” said Negroponte, a prominent American diplomat who had previously served as US ambassador to Manila.

Aside from Ambassador Negroponte and Pangilinan, the Society’s binational board includes more than 30 prominent Filipino and American private sector and community leaders led by Washington Z. Sycip and Maurice Greenberg who both concurrently serve as Honorary Chairmen.

In addition to Negroponte, three former US ambassadors to the Philippines sit on the Society’s board: Tomas Hubbard, Frank Wisner and Richard Murphy. The President of the Society, Ambassador John Maisto, and its Executive Director Hank Hendrickson, were also diplomats who served at the US Embassy in Manila.

After their courtesy call on President Aquino in Malacanang, the members of the Society’s board will meet with members of the Cabinet, among them Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson.

“The US-Philippines Society has been an effective partner in sharing the Philippine narrative to mainstream Americans,” said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., an ex officio member of the board. “We expect the Society to continue helping us deliver the good news about the Philippines upon their return to the US.”

Cuisia said that since its launching, the Society has not only been busy raising the profile of the Philippines in America but has also been actively supporting efforts to assist communities in Leyte and Samar that were devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

Last year, the Society channeled more than $2 million worth of assistance to typhoon victims from donations received from various US-based groups, community organizations and private individuals as well as raised funds from the “After the Storm” benefit concert at Washington’s famous Kennedy Center.

According to Maisto, the Society was able to assist typhoon victims by working closely with more than a dozen recipient organizations, including the PhilamLife Foundation, the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF), the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), the PHINMA Foundation and the SM Foundation.

“The US-Philippines Society has also been successful in strengthening its bonds with the Philippines through close partnerships that brought programs on education, governance, conflict-resolution, resilience and the dynamic Philippine economy to influential groups in the US,” said Maisto.

“We look forward to building on this solid record with an ambitious agenda for 2015,” he added.

Aside from the board meeting and their calls on President Aquino, Ambassador Maisto said the Society leadership will also be visiting some of the projects the organization funded in typhoon-affected communities in Tacloban.