Embassy of the United States in Manila

So many people said that…Afghanistan can't have free, democratic elections, it's inconsistent with their history. But look what happened…. People started lining up at three o'clock in the morning. There was a bridge that was blown down by the Taliban, and people found a fjord to cross the river…, and they were barefoot standing in the snow. …The people of Afghanistan showed us…that democracy applies anywhere…where people are given the opportunity to practice it. …I think this is illustrative of what…can happen in Iraq. …I believe the people of Iraq want the same thing…: the opportunities to step forward and decide who will be their future leaders and to decide that by a vote.

--Secretary Colin Powell, in an interview with Al Hurra Television, October 12, 2004.

All nations are in this struggle together

The rights of mankind are advancing across the world – and across the world the enemies of human rights are responding with violence. …In the last year alone, terrorists have attacked police stations, and banks and commuter trains, and synagogues – and a school filled with children. All civilized nations are in this struggle together, and all must fight the murderers.

President Bush, in his September 21, 2004 speech before the U.N. General Assembly

No tangible progress toward democracy

“The United States maintains a strong set of sanctions against the regime in Burma. We will maintain pressure on the regime until there is tangible progress toward the restoration of democracy and protection of human rights for all the peoples of Burma.... We have seen no such tangible progress since the May 30, 2003 attack on National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters. ...America will remain steadfast in seeking freedom for the Burmese people. We call on other concerned nations to join us in pressing the regime to live up to its commitments to restore full democracy and human rights to the people of Burma.”

Statement by the White House on July 8, 2004, when President George W. Bush signed a bill renewing import restrictions on Burma.

“People didn’t even ask what religion I was”

"It's different than anything I've seen on TV. I thought everyone was for the war (in Iraq) and that they didn't like Muslims because of terrorism. I found people who didn't really care. I mean a lot of people didn't even ask what religion I was. They really wanted to know me as me."

-- Sarah, a Muslim student from Turkey, commenting on how she found the United States after living there for a year under the Department of State’s Partnerships for Learning, Youth Exchange and Study Program (P4L-YES).

One of Iraq’s most loyal and patriotic citizens

“The assassination of the Honorable President of the Governing Council Ezz El-Din Salim this morning in Baghdad came as a great shock to me and my colleagues from the United Nations. We condemn this criminal act which has taken the life of one of Iraq’s most loyal and patriotic citizens, a man who made every sacrifice for his country, who worked sincerely and selflessly so that Iraq may regain its sovereignty and strength.”

-- Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General, May 17, 2004

“A bridge between us”

“There are few times when I have been ashamed to be an Arab American. One of the times was to see what a small group of Americans could do to Arabs. Another time was to see what a small group of Arabs would do to an American like you saw today with Zarqawi's people chopping the head off an American. …I believe that there is a bridge between us that can be built towards a better future, and we shouldn't think that this bridge would be built by violence. It must be built with dialogue and mutual respect. …It can't be America versus the Arabs. It must be Americans and Arabs, Muslims and Christians working against the people that have no vision for the future other than hate. And if we can't do that, then we will suffer just like the people of Abu Ghraib and just like the poor American who was beheaded at the hands of the terrorists yesterday.”

-- Gen. John Abizaid, head of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), speaking at a press conference in Jordan May 12, 2004.

“I’m sorry for the prisoners”

“I am sorry for the humiliation suffered by those individuals. It makes me sick to my stomach to see that happen. …I'm sorry that the truth about our soldiers in Iraq becomes obscured. …We've got fantastic citizens in Iraq; good kids; good soldiers…who are working every day to make Iraqi citizens' lives better. …It's an awful, awful period for the American people, just like it's awful for the Iraqi citizens to see that on their TV screens. …I'm sorry for the prisoners, I really am. I think it's humiliating.”

-- President George W. Bush, in an interview with the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram on May 6, 2004.

more quotes

In Focus

U.S. says military aid to RP strictly monitored; U.S.-assisted RP military reform program addresses corruption

Anti-corruption programs are part of the joint U.S.-Philippines multi-year program to reform the Philippine military, according to a fact sheet that the U.S. Embassy in Manila released on October 27. The Philippine Government provided $17.54 million and the U.S. dedicated $7 million for implementation of the Philippine Defense Reform program this year, the Embassy said. The fact sheet, which details the strict monitoring and accounting systems that the U.S. follows to ensure accountability and proper use of the military assistance it provides to the Philippines, also specifies the amounts of various U.S. military assistance to the Philippines in 2003 and 2004.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral visits RP

Rear Admiral James D. Kelly, Commander, Carrier Group Five, based out of Yokosuka, Japan, arrived in Manila today for a brief, routine orientation visit to observe RP-US military-to-military security cooperation activities. The visit to the Philippines is

his first since assuming his position in July of last year. His schedule includes meetings with officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, officials at the U.S. Embassy, and various U.S. military personnel temporarily assigned to the Philippines.

Two USN ships dock in Subic

Two U.S. Navy ships arrived in Subic Bay, Philippines on October 28 for a routine port visit to take on supplies and allow rest and relaxation for the crews. The USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) provides fuel to ships and jet fuel for aircraft assigned to aircraft carriers, while the cargo ship USNS GYSGT Fred W. Stockham (T-AK 3017) is configured to handle vehicles, equipment and field hospital cargo.

Embassy to implement two-parent
consent law for passport application

The U.S. Embassy said that when only one parent is executing the U.S. passport application of a child under 14 years old, the other parent must give a notarized consent for the application. This requirement will take effect on November 1, 2004, the Embassy said. Only one parent may execute the application if he/she has documentary evidence (e.g. custody order or death certificate) of sole custody of the child. The new requirement aims to prevent child abduction or other interference with the non-appearing parent’s rights.

Ricciardone: Response to allegations of corruption in military heartening

During a ceremony to honor the 60th anniversary of the Philippine Military Academy, U.S. Ambassador Ricciardone said those who cherish the values of the PMA and its "closest cousins," the U.S. military academies, are heartened by the positive response

of "President Arroyo, the Armed Forces, and even the media" regarding allegations of corruption in the Philippines military. He also noted that the Philippine Defense Reform initiative, which President Arroyo and President George W. Bush launched last year, will address systemic problems in the AFP and help improve its transparency and accountability.

U.S. Embassy rewards 3 Basilan residents P18.7M each for info on
ASG terrorist

In a ceremony in Basilan on October 25, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph Mussomeli presented three Filipinos P18.7 million each for providing information that led to the location of Abu Sayyaf Group leader Hamsiraji Sali. Also known as

Jose Ramirez, Sali was killed in an ensuing firefight. Mr. Mussomeli noted that the reward was the first such paid in the Philippines under the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Program, and expressed hope that it would not be the last. “Governments alone can never completely destroy the terrorists, he said. “The support, courage, and strength of the people are essential.”

President Bush joins RP in commemorating 60th Leyte
landing anniversary

U.S. President George W. Bush joins the Philippines in commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Allied forces’ landing on Leyte island, describing the event as a “central event in the long history of friendship between the peoples of the Philippines and

the United States.” In a statement released by the White House on October 19, President Bush pledged to the veterans of the Leyte landing: “Know that we will continue to recognize this date as a day to draw renewed inspiration from your courage and sacrifice in the cause of freedom. We will pass on to our children what your great generation has passed to us: a world where liberty is the right of all humankind, and where men and women will remain vigilant in its defense.”

New U.S. requirement for
visa waiver travelers
takes effect Oct. 26

Effective Oct. 26, 2004, visa waiver travelers to the United States from all 27 Visa Waiver Program countries must present either a machine-readable passport or a valid U.S. visa. Travelers with a valid U.S. visa will not be required to have machine-readable passports. In addition, since September 30, 2004, all VWP travelers arriving at a U.S. port of entry are required to enroll in US-VISIT, a program involving a digital photograph and fingerscans.

U.S. court rules to extradite
Charlie Atong Ang, finds plunder
charges plausible

A U.S. District Court in Nevada ruled on October 13, 2004 to extradite Charlie Atong Ang, a close associate of former President Joseph Estrada, to the Philippines, finding probable cause that Mr. Ang committed the crime of plunder. The district court ruled that there was “sufficient competent evidence to establish probable cause to believe that Mr. Ang participated with Estrada in converting P130 million of tax money to Estrada’s personal use.”

Ricciardone: Current corruption inquiry shows democratic institutions at work in the Philippines

During an interview on the ANC television program, "Dateline Philippines," U.S. Ambassador Ricciardone expressed confidence that Filipinos and Philippine democratic institutions were working to resolve current issues of corruption in the

military. He also said he believed Filipinos were reaching a “tipping point,” in which they no longer considered the “acceptance of corruption as inevitable.” The Ambassador said that since 2003, the U.S. Government and Philippine President Arroyo have been working together on the Philippine Defense Reform Program to improve management and finance systems in the Philippine military.

RP represented in international panel
to discuss child sex trafficking

Philippine diplomats will be among the panelists, and world-renowned entertainer Ricky Martin will be a featured speaker, in an international discussion on child sex trafficking to be held at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on October 20, 2004. The panelists in the discussion, according to the U.S. Department of State, are “from countries that have demonstrated marked progress in the area of prosecution, prevention and protection of child sex tourism.” The Philippine delegates, along with the United States and two other countries, will also be available for interviews during the press conference that will follow the panel discussion.

U.S. Ambassador optimistic on probe
of corruption in RP military

U.S. Ambassador Ricciardone said funds from U.S. military aid to the Philippines are not likely to have been involved in the corruption case against a major general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In an interview on radio station DZBB October 18, he said

U.S. military aid has primarily been in the non-cash form of training and provision of strictly-monitored equipment. He noted that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Narciso Abaya, the legislature through Congressman Roilo Golez’ committee on national defense, and the media have been pursuing the case vigorously. “I find grounds for optimism,” he said.

President Bush greets Muslims
on start of Ramadan

U.S. President George W. Bush, in a message on October 14, sent his “warm greetings to Muslims in the United States and around the world as they begin observance of Ramadan, the holiest season in their faith.” The President also said that “by teaching

the importance of compassion, justice, mercy, and peace, the Qur'an has guided many millions of believers across the centuries.” Americans who practice the Islamic faith, he said, “enrich our society and help our nation build a better future.”

Powell: Fighting terrorism not sole
component of U.S. security policy

Secretary Colin Powell said war on terrorism is only part of U.S. national security. “Every day we work with friends and allies…to advance reforms that will eliminate the frustration, the injustice, the poverty, the despair that gives rise to ideas of mass destruction,” he said in a

speech at the Italian Embassy in Washington on October 13. Because of this approach, he said, “terrorists now have fewer opportunities…fewer places in which to hide; and every day terrorists have fewer silent helpers, and more outspoken adversaries.” Fighting poverty, fighting disease, encouraging trade, dealing with enemies as we find them “create a national security policy that I think is relevant to the world in which we are living,” he said.

U.S. Embassy Manila announces H-1B visas will be issued throughout FY05

On October 1, 2004, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had received enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally-mandated cap for Fiscal Year 2005 (October 2004 through September 2005). Congress has set an annual H-1B cap of 65,000 for the skilled, temporary workers included in this category. USCIS will notify petitioners, beneficiaries and U.S. embassies and consulates abroad as these H-1B petitions are approved. Once approved, beneficiaries will be scheduled for visa interviews and issued visas according to their eligibility. Accordingly, U.S. Embassy Manila expects to schedule H-1B visa interviews as petitions are approved and issue H-1B visas throughout the 2005 Fiscal Year.

New $50 bill enters worldwide circulation

The U.S. Federal Reserve began distributing on September 28 the new U.S. $50 note to its banking customers for distribution to businesses and the public worldwide. The redesigned $50 bill is the same size as the

older version and still features former president Ulysses S. Grant on the front and the U.S. Capitol building on the back. The borders around both Grant and the Capitol have been removed. In addition to fresh touches of color, new or upgraded elements of the design include a watermark, security thread and color-shifting ink. U.S. officials stress that notes of both the new and old design will continue to be accepted as long as they remain in circulation.

State Department launches
online magazine for youth

The Department of State has launched Hi International, a new English language monthly webzine for youth, dealing with families, friends, careers, beliefs, sports, music, technology, education, relationships and potentials of the youth. The online magazine

features articles on trends and ideas in the U.S. that are often paralleled abroad. It is published by the The Magazine Group, which has over 20 years in the magazine production business, and is funded by the U.S. Department of State.

Department of State’s 2004 report
notes religious freedom in RP

Philippine government policy and practice “contributed to the generally free practice of religion” in the country, according to the International Religious Freedom Report 2004 that the U.S. Department of State released on September 15. The report said “the government does not ban or discourage specific religions or religious factions” although some Muslim leaders “assert ... that Muslims suffer from economic discrimination” and continue to be “underrepresented in senior civilian and military positions.” On the Abu Sayyaf Group, the report noted that “mainstream Muslim leaders reject its religious affiliation and strongly criticize its actions as ‘un-Islamic.’”

Mussomeli on RP fiscal difficulties:
Philippines must make “the hard choices”

U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Joseph Mussomeli said the Philippines must make the “hard choices” to avoid a fiscal crisis, while the U.S. “must continue to lend the moral and political support that may help bolster” the Philippines’ “political

resolve.” In remarks during a September 14 reception welcoming the U.S. ASEAN Business Council on its annual mission to the Philippines, Chargé Mussomeli also said: “We want to see this nation succeed, but the hard choices to avoid a crisis must come from the Philippine government. …It is now, solely and fully, in the hands of the Philippine government and the Filipino people.”

Biometrics Are Here!

Beginning September 7, 2004, all Immigrant visa applicants between the ages of 14 and 79 are required to be fingerprint-scanned at the time of the visa interview. Beginning September 14, 2004, all Non-immigrant visa applicants between the ages of 14 and 79, except for diplomatic or government representatives traveling on official business, are required to be fingerprint-scanned. Individuals with currently valid U.S. visas do not have to come to the Embassy to have their fingerprints scanned until the visa expires and they wish to apply for a new one. Please go to our Consular Services link for more information about biometrics and US-VISIT.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State pledges USG support for President Arroyo’s fiscal reform efforts

“The United States supports President Arroyo in her efforts at reform and economic rationalization,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State E. Anthony Wayne in his remarks at the Asian Institute of Management in Manila on August 31. The Assistant

Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs said, “We believe that efforts to increase revenues by broadening the tax base and improving tax administration will help deal with the immediate problem of low government revenues. We believe that it is critical that reform proposals to reduce the fiscal deficit be enacted and vigorously implemented soon. The time to act is now.” The U.S. Government, he said, “will do what we can to assist the Philippines. We will offer our best advice and encouragement, and provide targeted assistance.”

Read the Philippines portion in the following State Department Annual Reports:

Arms To Farms (streaming video)

In Southern Philippines’ Mindanao region, thousands of former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have made the difficult transition from decades of fighting to peaceful and productive civilian lives. “Arms to Farms,” a documentary video that chronicles this successful transition, profiles four former MNLF rebels and shows how the USAID’s ELAP/LEAP program enabled them and thousands others like them to sustain and reap the benefits of their choice of peace over war.

Special Features

Click on the buttons below to view materials on:

* President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s State Visit to Washington on May 19, 2003

* President George W. Bush’s State Visit to Manila on October 18, 2003

Ambassador Ricciardone (third, left) and Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary Marie T. Huhtala (left) meet Ms. Juliet Sanchez (second, right), owner the USAID-assisted Well-Family Midwife Clinic in Tacloban City, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations and the local government that support the clinic’s operation, during a visit on October 19. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (left) and U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone (right) pay homage to the U.S. and Filipino heroes of WWII during the October 20 ceremony commemorating the 60^th anniversary of the landing of the Allied Forces on Leyte’s shores. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

USAID Administrator Natsios gets a close view of the kulintang during his visit to Mindanao on October 13-14, 2004 to gain a deeper understanding of the U.S. Government’s development assistance to the region, where almost 60 percent of USAID-Philippines resources are focused. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

U.S. Ambassador Ricciardone receives a bouquet from some members of Songspell, a singing group of Davao children who rendered much- applauded numbers at the launching of the U.S. Virtual Consulate in Davao City on October 6. The Ambassador presided over the launching of the virtual consulate, which is expected to increase U.S.-Davao cultural and commercial ties, and provide service and information to Davao residents and American citizens. Davao’s local government and private sector leaders attended the event held at the Marco Polo Hotel. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo greets Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano, Commanding General, U.S. Army I Corps and Ft. Lewis, Washington, during a courtesy call on her in Malacanang Palace on September 17. The highest-ranking Filipino-American in the U.S. military, Gen. Soriano visited the Philippines for the first time since his family immigrated to the U.S. almost 50 years ago. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Joseph Mussomeli (right) exchange notes with Ambassador Albert F. del Rosario, Philippine envoy to Washington and Chairman of the U.S.-Philippines Business Council, during a reception welcoming the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council’s annual mission to the Philippines on September 14. The mission’s visit at this time, the Chargé said, will show U.S. commitment to support the Philippines as the country addresses its fiscal challenges. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone smiles as the computer monitor between him and Consular Officer Rachel Wolfe shows the electronic scan of his fingerprint during the Embassy’s launching of the new biometrics system for visa applicants on September 8. All U.S Embassies and Consulates abroad that process visa will implement the new system by October 26 this year. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

Ambassador Francis Ricciardone (right) and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza (second, right) witness L3 Communications Vice President Stephen Meltz (second, left) present to Marlon Barillo, president of Asiaborders Philippines, a certificate designating the latter as L3 Com’s sole distributor of security products and services in the Philippines in a ceremony held in Makati City on September 8. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

Ambassador Francis Ricciardone talks to a mother who brought her children to the USAID-funded Well Family Midwife Clinic in Talisay City. During his visit to Cebu on September 1-3, the Ambassador also attended a photo exhibit and a jazz concert, both sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, and met with local government and business leaders. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

Chicago Jazz Quartet vocalist Matt Lewis (on the microphone, right), jams it up with popular Philippine jazz singer Richard Merk (in white shirt) during a free performance at Merk’s Bistro on August 31 as part of the quartet’s August 29 - September 3 visit to the country as U.S. Department of State – Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassadors. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

Secretary Alberto Romulo (right) receives U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone warmly during the latter’s courtesy call on the new Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary at his office Manila on August 27. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

“The new Iraq portends a much brighter future than the one all too often portrayed,” U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone explains to the Asia Society of the Philippines on August 26. In his first discussion of Iraq’s transition to democracy since he returned from Baghdad on a special assignment to organize the new U.S. Embassy in Iraq, the Ambassador said the international cooperation to support Iraq’s transition “will define our time.” (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone (right), cuts the ribbon with Shangri-La Plaza Corporation President Tomas Zita (center) and Ford Group Philippines Henry Co (left) to open the “American Roadside Architecture” photo exhibit at the Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City on August 16. The exhibit, which is open free to the public, is on display in the hotel until August 31, and will be shown at SM City Cebu from September 2 to 24, and at SM Davao City from October 2 to 22. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

President George W. Bush greets children who came to meet him and First Lady Laura Bush on his arrival in Malacanang Palace on his State visit to Manila on October 18. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

Sharing the stage with President Bush, Philippine President Arroyo is given a warm welcome by volleys of enthusiastic cheers during the South Lawn ceremony. White House photo by Eric Draper. (Click photo to see photo gallery)

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More Photo Gallery

Japanese Ambassador Kojiro Takano (right) and Winrock International Chief of Party Rodrigo Cabrera (center) exchange copies of the grant agreement they signed on July 21 for the construction of a potable water system in Barangay Chua, Sultan Kudarat, under the U.S.-Japan joint endeavor “Clean Water for People Initiative.” USAID-Philippines Director Michael Yates (right) witnessed the signing. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)

Forty-one high school students who will reside and study in the U.S. for one year under a U.S. government -funded program made a courtesy call on U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone on August 4. Chosen from more than 350 applicants nationwide on the basis of their academic excellence and other criteria, more than half of the 41 scholars come from Mindanao. (Click on the picture to view the photo gallery.)