His Excellency Sung Y. Kim
Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of the Philippines and Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Manila, guest of honor and speaker at his valedictory meeting.
The ambassador ought to file for an extension since he was such a driving force in pursuing good relations between the Philippines and the United States despite the political climate.
Ambassador Sung Y. Kim’s stint in the Philippines has been the most colourful in his long history as a career diplomat for the United States. With the overall thrust of the U.S. embassy and all its sub-sectors to foster good diplomatic relations with the Philippines, they took great strides to open dialogues and build relationships with key figures in the Duterte administration.
The ambassador keenly met with cabinet members to voice out the concerns of the business community, as well as to air the side of the U.S. on various issues from a diplomatic standpoint.
Additionally, the U.S. has strengthened its new Development Finance Corporation to USD 60 billion. This marks a key point in showing confidence in the economic partnership between the two nations. The hope is that U.S. companies can also take part in the “Build, Build, Build” initiative in order to foster knowledge and best practice sharing between the two nations (the U.S. has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of infrastructure and public works).
Amb. Kim urged American companies to keep their CSR activities and make these activities known to the general public since it could be a good catalyst for improving U.S.-Philippine relations. Unfortunately, he said, a lot of these initiatives usually go under the radar.
Lastly, the ambassador assured that the U.S. is still committed to honouring the bilateral defense treaty with the Philippines and promises to uphold the rule of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) with regard to the West Philippine Sea issue versus China.
Along with the current heated climate, tension is brewing as China continues to make aggressive moves in the disputed territories. Regardless of the situation, the U.S. is committed to uphold the agreement and will come to the Philippines’ aid at the drop of a needle.
President’s Corner