WITH the plethora of developments that had transpired between the United States and the Philippines, particularly before the end of 2018, Ambassador Sung Y. Kim shared that last December “has even greater meaning for me, as it marked my second anniversary [in] the Philippines.”
He claimed his October visit to Marawi City had been “one of my most moving experiences as ambassador.”
“Seeing the devastation firsthand enabled me to better grasp its profound impact on peoples’ lives. From the onset of the siege, the US has provided humanitarian assistance to the displaced, [as well as] security assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines [AFP].”
In “Ground Zero,” the diplomat announced new funding under the Marawi Response Project to improve the lives of displaced families and host communities, bringing the total US government assistance for the endeavor to nearly P3.2 billion.
On the trade front, Kim narrated the considerable progress on bilateral ties, “including several achievements that resolved outstanding issues under our Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.”
“Whether it was strengthening agricultural trade, funding supply-chain development initiatives or partnering on aviation-infrastructure development, we’re working hard to become the Philippines’s top trade and investment partner. We are fortunate to have strong private-sector partners leading the way, including [more than] 600 companies in the American Chamber of Commerce.”
Bells for Christmastime
IN his New Year message to the Filipinos, Kim declared that the biggest success of his tenure yet was the recent return of the three Balangiga bells.
The American envoy has every reason to feel elated, as the repatriation of the religious artifacts happened under his watch.
“As President Duterte proclaimed at the ceremony in Samar, the return ‘heralds a new and more vibrant chapter in our bilateral relations,’” Kim added.
It could be recalled that the Chief Executive demanded during his second State of the Nation Address, where Kim was guest—in no uncertain terms—the immediate return of the bells, which “are part of our national heritage.”
Despite the President’s fiery rhetoric against the Americans on subsequent occasions, whenever the chance presented itself, the Filipinos were rewarded eventually with the homecoming of the bells, 117 years after they were taken out of their belfry in San Lorenzo de Martir Church in Eastern Samar.
‘Unbreakable’ human connection
ACCORDING to Kim, “Almost every Filipino I’ve met during my time here has some [form of ties with] the US: through personal experience, relatives or friends. Hearing their stories, I’ve come to believe the unique strength of the US-Philippine relationship lies in the deep, longstanding bonds between our peoples. The human connection between us is unbreakable, linking our two nations’ past, present and future.”
He said that after two years as ambassador, he remains “tremendously optimistic about the future of US-Philippine relations—thanks largely to the vibrant connections between our youth.”
The envoy then cited the 70th anniversary of educational exchanges between the two countries, which have sent 8,000 Filipinos to the US and brought 1,000 Americans to the Philippines.”
“Through exchange programs like the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative, we continue to bring together dynamic American and Filipino youth to learn from each other and forge new collaborations. We are also enabling more Filipinos to prepare for global futures through studies in US institutions, and have even more education programs in store for 2019.”
Defense treaties, Fonop
THIS year, the US Embassy partnered with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office to award 91 Congressional Gold Medals to Filipino World War II veterans, some of them 100 years or older. Their “unbelievable acts of heroism and sacrifice” were acknowledged as “critical in the fight for freedom and democracy in the Asia-Pacific.”
One of the bones of contention among our Filipino compatriots revolved around the “ironclad” military alliance forged fighting shoulder-to-shoulder in World War II and in the Korean War.
This “ironclad” guarantee was one of controversial aspects of the existing mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the US. Some sectors strongly feel that, unlike the same guarantee that the American military would come to aid Japan if the latter was attacked by a foreign power in any of their territories, the US does not, or cannot, assure they will do the same if any external force attacks or annexes the entire West Philippine Sea, or even portions of it.
(In a revised Mutual Cooperation Treaty signed on January 19, 1960, the US agreed to help defend Japan against any foreign adversaries. It remains intact to this day.)
In the absence of militarily defending the country from foreign aggression, the US promotes the Freedom of Navigation Operations (or Fonop) in the West Philippine Sea.
With this backdrop, Kim underscored the importance of the security alliance existing between the Philippines and the US—“one of our oldest military partnerships.”
As a perspective, the diplomat explained that in 2018, “we strongly supported the AFP’s modernization efforts—and the Philippines’s vital role in maintaining regional security—through the transfer of more than P1.8 billion in military equipment.”
He claimed the Philippines was the largest recipient of the US’s foreign-military financing in Asia. “We also saw substantive progress with our Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which will [upgrade] interoperability and the AFP’s disaster-response capabilities.”
In all, Kim expressed confidence that “together, we continue to fight terrorism, protect maritime spaces and freedom of navigation, and provide humanitarian assistance when disaster strikes.”
Accomplishments, confidence
DESPITE countless issues that may beset the balance and order in this side of the globe, Kim remains resolute in his faith and belief in the long-standing ties that continue to galvanize US-Philippine relations:
“It is with great pride that I reflect upon a year of accomplishments. I’m confident 2019 has even greater things in store for us.”
Thus went Kim’s retrospective of the previous two years of his current tenure, serving as the Americans’ main conduit to the Filipinos, whom they consider friends, partners and allies for the longest time.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano