High-level US delegation due in PH
A high level delegation led by four former United States ambassadors to the Philippines will be in the country on a three-day mission to explore ways to deepen bilateral cooperation and private sector relationships between Manila and Washington.
Arriving on Sunday, the US delegation will be led by John Negroponte, former ambassador to the Philippines and Deputy Secretary of State. Negroponte co-chairs the Washington-based
US-Philippines Society.
Joining Negroponte are three other distinguished American envoys previously assigned to the Philippines – Frank Wisner, Richard Murphy, and Thomas Hubbard, along with Ambassador John Maisto, US-Philippines Society president.
While in Manila, the US delegation will attend the Society's Board of Directors meeting to be hosted by its co-chair Manuel V. Pangilinan.
“We come to Manila to learn, and intend to return to the United States better equipped to provide support for a USPhilippines relationship that will advance shared foreign policy and economic interests, and sustain people-to-people ties," Negroponte said.
The Society’s program offers an opportunity to reinforce support for new trade and investment ties through a comprehensive bilateral Free Trade Agreement that benefits both countries by enhancing commercial links, fostering job creation, strengthening internationally recognized standards, and yielding strategic benefits.
The Society board also welcomes initiatives from the US government to boost support for American business through mechanisms under the “Build Act,” including establishment of the US International Development Finance Corporation, as concrete measures for creating more productive partnerships with the Philippines, especially in the Energy, ICT, and Infrastructure sectors.
Members of the board are scheduled to meet with President Duterte and his economic team led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, and legislators to gain a fuller understanding of the Philippines’ domestic and foreign policy priorities.