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S T A T E M E N T |
SFA-AGR-PS074-06 20 June 2006
REMARKS OF
HON. DR.
ALBERTO G. ROMULO
SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
GALA DINNER IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CENTENNIAL OF FILIPINO
MIGRATION
AND
THE 108TH YEAR OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C., 17 JUNE 2006
As we gather here to mark the Centennial of Filipino migration and the 108th Year of our Independence, I am pleased – and honoured – to bring you the warm greetings of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
You represent the finest in the Filipino community of this great country.
I am honored our veterans could join us tonight. You are the living symbols of the courage and sacrifice that allow all of us to live in freedom and peace.
A story of great courage
For one hundred years, you, the members of the Filipino-American community, have been an indispensable link to the United States, our vital and invaluable ally, since the beginning of this century.
You have made your mark on America -
- in the State governments, we are proud of Governor Ben Cayetano of Hawaii
- in diplomacy, US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Michele Sison
- in the military, Generals Eduardo Soriano and Antonio Taguba
- and in the White House, Chairman Rudy Pamintuan and Commissioner Vellie Dietrich-Hall of the President's Advisory Commission; and Cris Cumerford, the White House chef who makes sure the leader of the world’s only superpower has proper nourishment.
You have moved business and commerce forward -- led by Imelda Nicholas Lewis, Lilia Calderon Clemente and Josie Natori.
In literature and the arts, you articulated the Filipino soul – with Carlos Bulosan, Bienvenido Santos and Jose Garcia Villa, planting the early roots of Filipino literary brilliance.
I am also particularly pleased to see so many outstanding representatives of the Filipino-American community here with us tonight.
You, and those before you, overcame great challenges – building solid futures for you and your families – and in the process helping create a more tolerant, a more open, and a more prosperous America.
Maintaining close ties
Though far from your homeland, you maintained your close ties with our country.
Many others have made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of freedom and the democratic way of life -- from World War II to Korea, Vietnam and now Iraq.
Among them is the first Filipina casualty of our valiant efforts to make Iraq democratic, multi-ethnic, and peaceful.
Army Sergeant Myla L. Maravillosa died last Christmas eve in Northern Iraq. She was brought home and with military honors buried in her hometown of Inabanga, Bohol.
She comes from the great state of Hawaii, where we mark the beginning of one hundred years of Filipino migration to America.
Partner in nation building
As we celebrate our 108th year as a sovereign nation, we continue to work to build a stronger republic.
You have played an important part in these efforts. Your investments and remittances have created jobs, generated commerce and financed construction.
Last year, remittances alone from Filipinos working abroad amounted to US$10.7 billion, up 25.0% over 2004. Sixty percent of these remittances to the Philippines come from you here in America.
Our efforts at good governance received a major boost from the United States yesterday. The Millennium Challenge Account Board unanimously approved 20.6 million dollars in funding for the Philippines’ reform programs to combat corruption and tax evasion.
Structural reforms, economic growth
Over these past four years, the Government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been carrying out structural transformation of the economy to raise its efficiency.
Even in the face of varied challenges, the escalating crude oil prices, among others, our economy sustained its strong upturn in the first quarter of 2006, with GDP growing by 5.5 percent in real terms over a year ago. GNP rose by 5.8 percent while net factor income from abroad grew by 8.8 percent.
Our merchandise exports grew markedly in the first quarter, by 11.4 percent in real terms, with exports to the US continuing to grow.
Exports of services also increased by 17.0 percent driven by government services and the continued influx of Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) in the country. The majority of which – from call and contact centers, to medical transcription, software development, and other IT-enabled services – come from the United States.
Fundamental reform, lasting change
Your confidence in our nation will be matched by our efforts to make lasting and meaningful changes in our government and society.
To build a better future for our nation, the President is taking bold steps at fundamental Constitutional reforms that will serve future generations of Filipinos.
In her Independence Day reception for the diplomatic corps last Monday, underscoring the need to make the economy more productive and to bring to an end political deadlock, the President said:
The choice is for us to make whether we continue to live up to the vision of our national heroes or continue to watch helplessly while our political system degenerates and our economy is trapped on the mire of uncertainty. Our forefathers did not sacrifice to create an independent nation where politics take precedence over progress (and our people).
60 years as partners as sovereign states
This year, we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations with the United States as sovereign states.
It is a partnership forged in the foxholes of Bataan and the tunnels and guns of Corregidor, and tempered with the commingled blood of Filipinos and Americans.
It is a partnership that runs up to today’s war on terror, a battle that is fought on many fronts, in our region and in the world.
Our partnership continues, even as the United States deepens its involvement in the security and stability of our region.
This partnership remains vigorous, as we assume the Chair of ASEAN and take on the challenge and responsibility of building regional communities, particularly when we host the ASEAN and East Asia Summits in Cebu this December.
Updated relationship
We have updated and transformed our relationship with America to be more responsive to the challenges of the 21st century. As one of its oldest allies in the region, the United States is helping modernize and professionalize our military.
The US is standing by us, with training, advice and assistance, as we continue to uproot terrorism in the Southern Philippines – and together we are also planting the seeds for lasting and meaningful peace.
Just as you, the members of the Filipino-American community have swiftly come to the aid of Filipinos back home, Americans have also stood by us, to help alleviate the suffering of disaster victims and to help rebuild their homes and school buildings.
You will always have a home with us
The motto we have chosen for the 108th Anniversary of Independence is: Pagkakaisa Para Sa Matatag na Republika: “Unity for a Strong Republic.”
Your enduring love for our country serves to inspire those of us back home to unite and to face as one nation the daunting task of building a stronger nation.
By your sacrifices and your contributions to our nation, you too are truly part of this heroic and historic struggle.
As the indispensable link between your country and your adopted home, you are also a powerful force that strengthens the unity of the Philippines and the United States as sovereign partners.
Wherever fortune may take you, you will always be part of the Filipino nation.
Wherever in the world you may wander, you will always have a place in your home country.
And as you pursue your dreams and aspirations, may you all keep to heart, the words of Dr. Jose P. Rizal,
It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice.
Mabuhay and good night.