THE Philippine Embassy in the United States, the US-Philippines Society and St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor Parish jointly observed on February 9 the 56th death anniversary of Joaquin Miguel Elizalde—the first Philippine ambassador to the United States from 1946 to 1952.
Elizalde is buried in the cemetery at St. Joseph. At exactly noon, a small group of representatives gathered around his gravestone and offered prayers led by Fr. Kevin Farmer, St. Joseph’s pastor. It was followed by a clip of a speech delivered by Elizalde on December 16, 1941, a few days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
In his “Message to the Philippines,” now stored at the Recorded Sound Research Center of the Library of Congress, the ambassador foreshadowed how the destinies of the Filipino and American peoples will eventually be forged by the fires of war, and presciently anticipates the strategic importance of the Philippines in Southeast Asia.
Consul-General Jose Victor Chan Gonzaga, US-Philippines Society Executive Director Hank Hendrickson, and Fr. Kevin offered flowers at the grave of the ambassador. The former two delivered remarks which emphasized the importance of Elizalde’s role in the beginning of Philippines-US relations, then highlighted the important friendship, alliance and partnership of the two countries.
“The commemoration of Ambassador Elizalde’s death anniversary auspiciously marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of the 75th year of formal diplomatic relations between [our two countries],” current Ambassador of the Philippines to the US Jose Manuel G. Romualdez said following the ceremony.
“The work, life and legacy of Ambassador Elizalde is a clear testament to the deep, historic, and enduring relationship [of the two nations],” Romualdez stated. “However, we are also reminded that [their] relations continue to be an unfinished project. Our task is to build upon the strong foundations of the past in order to achieve a common future of mutual peace and prosperity.”
“In commemorating the 75th anniversary of US-Philippines diplomatic ties, [we recognize] the foundational role of Ambassador Elizalde in setting in motion an enduring relationship between our two sovereign nations that has grown and prospered for three-quarters of a century,” US-Philippines Society Executive Director Hank Hendrickson also said after the event. “We were honored [by the presence of] representatives from the Philippine Embassy to mark Ambassador Elizalde’s 56th death anniversary. It is with great affection that we recall his work linking America and the Philippines through diplomatic service, business, and educational ties.”
“It is an honor to receive our guests from Washington and the Philippines. We are thankful for this chance to pray together, to remember the ambassador, and all of the departed in our cemetery,” Fr. Farmer said during the ceremony. He was joined by Executive Director of Mission Ruth Puls, as well as coordinators Martina Vallecillo from Children’s Faith Formation and Ministries Administration Toni Edwards.