Del Rosario seeks continued efforts to raise Phl profile in US

MANILA, Philippines - Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has called on a group of American and Filipino luminaries to continue their efforts to raise the profile of the Philippines in the United States.

During the recent second annual dinner of the US-Philippines Society at the New York Stock Exchange, Del Rosario thanked “the people of the United States for their enduring and warm friendship and solid partnership.”

“May we enjoin the US-Philippines Society to reinforce and give fresh meaning to our shared history, our shared values, our shared concerns and our shared aspirations, especially to the new generation of Americans who may have little appreciation for the essence of our historical brotherhood,” he said.

He cited the Society, which was launched during the visit of President Aquino to Washington last year, for organizing a series of high-profile events and carrying out its mission of raising awareness about the Philippines.

He urged the group to announce “the incredible growth of the Philippines to the world, and have our country considered as a most attractive investment and business destination.”

Del Rosario’s audience included former ambassador to Manila John Negroponte, the society’s chair who also served as director of National Intelligence.

“May we enjoin the US-Philippines Society to encourage the US government to pursue the strongest possible treaty alliance and embark on an even more strategic partnership with the Philippines,” he told the audience.

The events that raised awareness of the Philippines included a business mission to the country in January, the first-ever Philippines conference co-organized with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in September 2012, and regular roundtables with the School of Advanced Strategic Studies of the Johns Hopkins University.

Aside from Negroponte, also present at the dinner were Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr., Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Libran Cabactulan, New York Consul General Mario de Leon, Ambassador John Maisto, and Ambassador Hank Hendrickson.