US-PHL Society holds board meeting in Manila

The US-Philippines Society, launched during President Aquino’s official visit to Washington last June, will hold it second Board of Directors Meeting in Manila on Jan. 24. Directors from both the Philippines and the United States will participate in a dynamic program surrounding the Board Meeting, with events aimed at forging bonds with political and business leaders, fostering an informed discussion of strategic issues, and promoting business and investment opportunities.

The Society’s mission is to raise the profile of the Philippines in America through a wide variety of program initiatives, including economic and business development, politics and governance, security, culture, education, and via outreach to the Filipino-American Community. The Jan. 23-25 program, developed in cooperation with Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. and the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington, and hosted in Manila by Philippine co-chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, includes a business and strategic component and opportunities for indepth discussion of governance, economic, and reform issues.

Society directors will meet with President Aquino, key cabinet secretaries, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Sereno. Those meetings are designed to bring the Society’s directors and officers up to date on the government’s latest initiatives in areas ranging from economic policy and governance to judicial reforms.

The Jan. 24 program features a Policy Forum with former US ambassadors to the Philippines for discussion of the strategic environment in the region and beyond, and the outlook for 2013. A Business Dialogue, organized by the Makati Business Club through its chairman Ramon Del Rosario Jr., will include briefings on key sectors of the Philippine economy and promote interaction and exploration of investment and trade opportunities between representatives of US and Philippine businesses.

The Society’s program will conclude on Jan. 25 with a tour of Clark to observe business development and a briefing at the Asian Institute of Management for discussions on business and good governance.

The directors, including co-chairs Pangilinan and John Negroponte, honorary chairs Washington Sycip and Hank Greenberg, Ambassador Cuisia, and President John Maisto, will review the Society’s 2012 programming and draw up plans for 2013.