Washington-bound Ricciardone bids GMA goodbye

Outgoing United States Ambassador Francis Ricciardone yesterday bade farewell to President Arroyo, who conferred upon him the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu.

Ricciardone took his leave of the President in the Music Room of Malacañang.

"We wish you all the best," the President told Ricciardone. "Thank you for everything and good luck."

With Ricciardone were his wife, Marie Ricciardone, Foreign Affairs Acting Secretary Franklin Ebdalin, US Consul General David Donahue, US embassy political counselor Scott Bellard and Assistant to the Ambassador Andy Ball.

Ricciardone concludes his assignment to the Philippines and returns to Washington today after a tenure of three years. He assumed his post in the Philippines on Feb. 12, 2002.

A US Embassy statement on Ricciardone’s departure said Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph Mussomeli will continue to stay in Manila as embassy chargé d’affaires as the White House has yet to announce a nominee to succeed Ricciardone.

Manila has agreed to the appointment of Cameron Hume, who is now serving as US ambassador to South Africa, but Hume has not yet been nominated to the post before the US Senate.

During his last meeting with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Ricciardone said he leaves Manila with confidence that "together, the US and the Philippines are succeeding in accomplishing the twin goals that our two presidents have set since they took office on the same day in January 2001: revitalizing the Philippine-American relationship and carrying it to real maturity."

The President and Ricciardone were in Palawan Monday, where they inaugurated a protected maritime resource area in Calamian island and witnessed the signing of agreements between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Tourism for sustainable development projects.