Malacañan Palace
23 June 2016
Officials and members of the U.S.- Philippines Society paid a courtesy call to President Benigno S. Aquino III at the Malacañan Palace to express their gratitude and appreciation to the Chief Executive and gave him a commemorative book entitled “President Benigno S. Aquino III: Promoting a 21st Century Partnership for Peace, Security and Prosperity.”
According to Philippine Ambassador to the United States of America, H.E. Jose L. Cuisia, who also serves as an ex-officio board member of the society, the book will be part of the historical record not only of the diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the U.S.A., but more importantly, the longstanding friendship between Filipinos and the American people. The book, he added, presents the story of the two nations that “continue to be bound together by a common history, shared values and mutual aspirations.”
The U.S.- Philippines Society was launched in Washington, D.C. in June 2012 and is co-chaired by Ambassador John D. Negroponte of the U.S.A. and Filipino business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan. It has been a great partner of the Philippine Embassy and the Consulates General in the U.S. in promoting the interest of the Philippines and elevating its profile throughout the United States.
Among the numerous milestones of bilateral relationship between the two countries that Ambassador Cuisia mentioned are the Conclusion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA); the rise in the economic military security assistance of the U.S.A. to the Philippines; the selection of the Philippines as one of the pilot countries for the partnership for growth program of the U.S.A., making the Philippines the only country in Asia to be selected for the program; and the expanded economic relationship between the two nations.
Also present during the call were U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General and Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Emmanuel Esguerra, and Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Laura Del Rosario.
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