Book Launch: Realizing the ASEAN Economic Community

Scot Marciel
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Singapore, DC

November 14, 2009

AMBASSADOR MARCIEL:  Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to be here today. Thank you, Mr. Secretary General, Minister, for giving me the opportunity to be with you today. It is always very difficult to follow a Minister. It is always very difficult -- as I’ve learned from experience -- to follow the Secretary General. Both because he’s very eloquent and because, as I can see, he’s been studying economics, and because he stole many of my lines. But, let me give it a shot anyway.

It is, as the Secretary General said, and the Minister said, it’s a perfect time to launch this book, which is an excellent example of the cooperation that’s underway in many areas between the United States and ASEAN. The United States has been committed, as the Secretary General said, to Southeast Asia and ASEAN for decades. This is not new. We’ve worked together and we’ve been part of Southeast Asia, a partner of Southeast Asia for many years. And the reason is simple. Our interest is that Southeast Asia be a region of countries and people who enjoy peace, stability, greater freedom, and greater prosperity. And we think ASEAN plays a central role in making that happen. Looking ahead we expect ASEAN to play an even more central role. Now that it has a Charter and it’s moving ahead vigorously, ASEAN plays a key role in the region, and so our relationship with ASEAN is key to our overall relationship in the region.

This year, as the Secretary General said, we’ve made significant efforts to step up our engagement in Southeast Asia and with ASEAN per se. As you know, Secretary Clinton made her first foreign trip to Asia and to Southeast Asia and made the first-ever stop by a Secretary of State at the ASEAN Secretariat where she and the Secretary General had a good and constructive conversation. We did sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. We acceded to that. The Secretary did go to the Ministerial, and the Secretary General is not giving himself enough credit. As I recall in that meeting, Mr. Secretary General, you thanked Secretary Clinton for making good on some commitments and then suggested that making good on a U.S. Leaders Meeting would really be a test. I recall the Secretary turning around and saying something to the effect of, “Make it happen.”

Thankfully we’ve been able to do that. We’re looking forward to really an historic meeting, the first meeting between the President of the United States and the ten leaders of ASEAN.

As part of our overall approach of engaging with ASEAN and supporting ASEAN’s own goals of building communities and achieving this economic integration, we have been working with USAID, the State Department, and others, working with the Secretariat and with ASEAN members to help where we can: On capacity building, identifying issues that needed to resolved, trying to play very much a supportive role. Here our agenda is very much ASEAN’s agenda. And our job is to help ASEAN succeed in this goal.
When I think about these goals, I think particularly about the goal of economic integration by 2015, I think very few Americans, and perhaps not that many people even in the region, appreciate just how truly dramatic it will be when ASEAN achieves this goal. This is huge.

I think the Secretary General mentioned the GDP of the region of over $1.5 trillion. For American business Southeast Asia is huge. It’s a major export market and a major market for our investors, our companies. As ASEAN moves ahead, and as it achieves economic integration, I think it’s going to be dramatic, for the region, but also for the world.

At the same time we realize that moving in this direction is not easy. It’s not easy for any country. It’s certainly not easy for a group of ten countries. It’s going to take a lot of political will. There will be a lot of challenges. And so, this book is exactly what is needed. Because this book lays out very clearly the very tangible and significant benefits that will accrue to the people of the region with economic integration. And I think it will be a huge, as we say, source of ammunition for the proponents of integration, because the reality is, ASEAN has five years to go. It sounds like a long time. It’s not very much time to do a lot.

We’re going to be supportive any way we can, but it’s really going to be up to ASEAN and all the leaders of ASEAN. And I think using this book will help dramatically. It makes clear that the economic benefits will include faster growth, greater trade, more foreign direct investment and job creation. It will lead to increased trade within ASEAN, but also, we expect, between ASEAN and the rest of the world. It should help significantly reduce poverty in the region. It should help reduce and close the development gap between ASEAN’s wealthiest and poorest members. So once again, skeptics ought to look at this book, they ought to read it carefully, and I hope they will realize that this goal of economic integration is the right one and it’s one that ASEAN should work whole-heartedly to achieve. We certainly will do everything we can in support.

And if I can just make one pitch at the end: We will stay committed and engaged in this region. There’s no question about it. We are an Asia-Pacific nation. And my real pitch is: ASEAN needs not only to move ahead toward integration, which it will, but to make sure the world knows about it. So we certainly hope that ASEAN government officials and businesses will come to the United States, go elsewhere in the world in the next year and spread this message. Tell us what you’re doing, so that our business people and our press and our publics will know what you’re doing. Thank you very much.

QUESTION: What do you say can ASEAN countries do to promote themselves in the U.S.? And would it include businessmen from Myanmar in the event the sanctions are still in place?

AMBASSADOR MARCIEL:  What we’ve been saying is that in addition to ASEAN moving ahead to create this integrated market, it’s important that ASEAN impact markets with what it’s doing. It’s not particularly well known in the United States. I can’t speak for other parts of the world. And so what we’ve said is that we would welcome people of ASEAN coming together as an ASEAN group, officials and business people, to talk about it. It’s really up to ASEAN members to decide who they would send. I won’t use this as an opportunity to talk about what Burma or Myanmar can do to get rid of the sanctions.

QUESTION: Obama in Tokyo said (inaudible).

AMBASSADOR MARCIEL:  One of the things I’ve learned in my career is never try to elaborate on what the President of the United States said. That could only end badly for me. I would just say let’s leave it at that for the moment. The President will be here later today. (Inaudible) I don’t want to try to elaborate on it. But the Secretary General will.

QUESTION: This is a question for Ambassador Marciel from Reuters. Since we’re talking about ASEAN, and it’s going to be having a summit tomorrow, could you give us some preview on what to expect from this summit, what agenda will be discussed? In particular, will President Obama be sitting in the same group and floor as Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein? When you visited Myanmar just last week, you didn’t get a chance to meet the Senior General Than Shwe.

AMBASSADOR MARCIEL: Well, I think the agenda is fundamentally to talk about how the United States and ASEAN can continue to build and expand cooperation and work together on a wide range of issues that affect the region and the globe. It’s a pretty broad agenda. And its terms of participation, as far as we know, will be President Obama and the leaders from the ten ASEAN countries.

Numbers of Americans Studying Abroad Up 8.5%, China, India, Japan, South Africa, and Argentina See Strong Gains as Destinations

Office of the Spokesman

Washington, DC

November 16, 2009

A record number of U.S. students are studying abroad, reflecting the value of an international academic experience as preparation to live and work in a global society. According to the Open Doors 2009 survey, the number of Americans studying abroad increased by 8.5% to 262,416 in the 2007/08 academic year. This increase builds on two decades of steady growth and represents four times as many U.S. students than in 1987/88. The Institute of International Education publishes the annual Open Doors report with support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“Today more than ever before, study abroad can help our students understand our interconnected world and participate productively in the global economy,” said Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale, at a briefing today at the National Press Club in Washington, DC that launched the observance of International Education Week. She added, “The State Department strongly supports study abroad through such programs as the Fulbright Program, which is sending its largest number ever of U.S. students abroad this year, and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, which in two years has doubled the number of U.S. undergraduates with financial need who will study abroad.”

Open Doors 2009 shows that the number of students to nearly all of the top twenty-five destinations increased, notably to destinations less traditional for study abroad: China, Ireland, Austria and India (up about 20% each), as well as Costa Rica, Japan, Argentina and South Africa (up nearly 15% each). While the four perennial leaders in hosting U.S. students remain the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France, findings indicate that 15 of the top 25 destinations are now outside of Western Europe, and 19 are countries where English is not the primary language. Americans electing to study in Africa increased by 18%, in Asia by 17%, and in Latin America by 11%.

Data provided for this study by campus administrators for academic year 2008/09 relates to study abroad in 2007/08 and is the most recent available.

Open Doors 2009 details and analysis are available at http://opendoors.iienetwork.org.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) manages a range of exchanges for over 40,000 participants annually, to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Details, including overseas study opportunities for Americans, are available at www.exchanges.state.gov and http://exchanges.state.gov/features/abroad/index.html.

Media Contact: Catherine Stearns, StearnsCL@state.gov or 202-632-6437

Remarks at USA Pavilion at Shanghai Expo

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Shanghai, China

November 16, 2009

Thank you. Thank you so much. Well, good morning, and let me tell you how pleased I am to be here with all of you in the rain, which means good fortune. (Laughter.) I thank the vice mayor for his very kind words. And to all of our Chinese friends who are here today, we are very grateful for your support of this pavilion.

I want to thank Ken Jarrett and the USA Pavilion Board of Directors. I wish to thank Mr. Yang Xiong, our executive vice mayor. I want to thank Ms. Zhong Yanqun, vice chair. Mr. Hong Hao, director general, Ms. Wu, deputy director general, and our friend who is the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong. Thanks also to U.S. Commissioner General Jose Villarreal, to our Consul General Beatrice Camp, to Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley and Kris Balderston from our Global Partnerships in the State Department, and to Ellen Eliasoph and the U.S. Pavilion team. Thanks to all of you.

And there are a number of corporate representatives here who I would like to acknowledge, because without your financial support, this magnificent USA Pavilion behind me would not be possible. Our global sponsors, PepsiCo, General Electric Corporation, and Chevron; our newest sponsors, Proctor and Gamble, Yum! Brands, Honeywell, Intel, Pfizer, and Qualcomm, and I want to note a special sponsor, Boeing, which has just agreed to double its contribution to $2 million to support this effort. We’re grateful for your generosity and your steadfast belief in the importance of the expo, the American role here, and what this USA Pavilion can do to strengthen cooperation and partnership between the American people and the people of China.

It is very fitting that this expo will be here in Shanghai, one of the most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities in the world. I’m pleased to be here with President Obama and to be back in China after my first trip here as Secretary of State earlier this year. This USA Pavilion will showcase American innovation, it will demonstrate the kind of values that America holds dear – freedom, diversity, teamwork, creativity – and it will be built around the theme “Better Cities and Better Lives.”

I understand there will even be a story told in 4-D. I know there are some in the audience who are still contemplating sponsorship or who may be in negotiations with the USA Pavilion team. Now is the time to join this effort. We want to assemble the strongest team of partners possible. I look forward to returning next summer to see for myself what our pavilion looks like and to tour the magnificent Expo grounds.

There’s a famous American movie called Field of Dreams. And in it, the hero, played by Kevin Costner, builds a baseball field at his remote farm. A lot of people tell him what he’s doing doesn’t make any sense, they think it’s a big risk, but he loves baseball, and he has faith that he can build something that will be meaningful. And during his project which so many people criticize, he keeps hearing “If you build it, they will come.”

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we believe the same. We are building it, and we believe that when the Expo opens in 166 days, 70 million people will come. And with this rain today, maybe 100 million people, with even greater good fortune, will come. Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you.

# # #

Townterview with Maria Ressa, Ricky Carandang and Pinky Webb of ABS-CBN

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

University of St. Tomas

Manila, Philippines

MODERATOR: Coming in is U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Everyone, please, let’s give her a round of applause. (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Well, you said how exciting. We’re certainly excited to have this chance to talk to you, Secretary Clinton. Welcome to the Philippines and please have a seat.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Well, it’s wonderful being back at this great university, which I just learned has a total of 44,000 students, the director told me. It’s amazing. So I’m thrilled to be here. Thank you so much for doing this.

MODERATOR: Well, thank you for coming, and I know since we have you for such a short period of time, we’ve got all of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao waiting for your words. So let me just quickly toss the first question at you, which is you – we’ve been talking about you, your – all of the highs and lows of your life, what a fantastic life, jam-packed, full of firsts; the first woman this, first woman partner in your – female partner in your law firm, first woman senator from New York, first woman to run for president, and now perhaps the most powerful and perhaps most popular with – the most popular U.S. diplomat.

So given all of this, for the women here and the young students, what advice would you give women who are moving from how to deal with disappointments, going from the lows to get to those highs?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, Maria. Well, let me say first that I think every person has the opportunity to make the most of their own lives. But what I have learned over time is that talent is universal, but opportunity may not be. And part of what is happening at this university is helping to equip young people – young men and young women – with the tools that you can use for your own lives. But every life faces challenges. There is no life that I know of, having lived as long as I have now, that doesn’t.

But with faith and with perseverance and persistence and a sense of mission and purpose in your life, you can keep going and make a contribution. And service is what has been at the center of my life. I never really thought when I was your age that I would be in politics or that I would ever be the Secretary of State of the United States. But I always wanted to make a contribution, particularly to children, because I think children deserve all of the support that we can give them. Their families deserve support so they can do a better job for their children.

So this has been a remarkable honor for me to have had the chance to serve, and I really hope that there will be a lot of young people here who are students who take advantage of this wonderful education to find ways to serve as well. The Philippines needs you. One of the great exports of this country is your people, and everywhere I go in the world, I meet Filipinos who are doing everything, every kind of job, making every kind of contribution. We’re so proud to have millions of Filipino Americans. But I think this country also needs your educated approach and your commitment.

So that’s what I’ve enjoyed doing and what I feel strongly about, and I’m just happy to be here with all of you.

MODERATOR: Thank you.

MODERATOR: All right. (Applause.) Secretary Clinton, you talked about talent. Let me introduce you to one of Ateneo de Manila’s top basketball players.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, good.

MODERATOR: His name is Chris Tiu.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes.

MODERATOR: He has a question for you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Chris.

QUESTION: Good morning, Madame Secretary.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning.

QUESTION: How are you doing?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Very well, thank you. What position do you play?

QUESTION: I play shooting guard.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, good.

QUESTION: Yes.

SECRETARY CLINTON: How high is your vertical jump? (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Oh, not very high. I can touch the rim, though.

I have two questions for you if you don’t mind. Here’s my first question. My good friend, Ambassador Kristie Kenney, told me that you’re appalled by the poverty situation here in the country. So my question for you is: How do you think the youth can best get engaged in reducing poverty in our country?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first, let me say that the Philippines has been making progress. The income level has risen, which is very significant, but you know, because you live here, that there’s a lot of work still to be done. I think education is one of the most important ways of fighting poverty, I think providing healthcare so that young people are able to take advantage of their hard work and they have a really positive future, I think that having a good partnership between your government and your people to tackle the problems of poverty is absolutely critical.

The United States wants to be a good partner. We are trying to look at ways that we can provide more assistance to the Philippines to tackle poverty. Infrastructure is important, namely roads, and as you saw with these terrible recent storms, trying to fix some of the flooding conditions, some of the sanitation conditions. There’s a lot of work to be done, but I’ve been impressed at how the government has been working on this, but we need to do even more.

And ultimately, people themselves have to take responsibility and organize themselves. There are lots of ways that community groups can be organized to work for better services, to have a voice in the political system, to make sure that the needs of the poor are not marginalized or overlooked. So there’s a lot that can be done, and I really encourage the young people here to think creatively about that. I mean, what could you do as an individual, what could you do as part of a group here at the university that would tackle some of this?

And the final thing I would say is that there are big, big issues that can only be addressed by big solutions. But there’s an individual approach that could always work; mentoring a poor child, making sure that a poor child has somebody to look up to, somebody that you can be there in his or her life to encourage that child to stay in school, to really help that child get over the challenges and the bumps that happen in any life. Those kind of mentoring programs, those Big Brother/Big Sister programs, it’s one life at a time that I think is also an important part of an overall attempt to try to alleviate poverty.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, ma’am. On a lighter note, I’d just like to ask, since most of us Filipinos here are sports fanatics, particularly basketball and boxing, I would like to know if you follow any sport in particular? Do you have a favorite NBA team? And lastly, I’m sure all of us here would like to know what do you think will be the result this Sunday between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto? (Applause.) Let’s see how much of a diplomat Secretary Clinton is.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I have heard that basketball and boxing are pretty big here in the Philippines, right? And so for basketball, I have followed two teams. I’m originally from Chicago. That’s where I was born and raised. And so I followed the Chicago Bulls, particularly when Michael Jordan was there. (Applause.) And then I was a senator from New York, so I have followed the Knicks, but that’s kind of discouraging. (Laughter.)

So I have – I kind of – I follow it, but it’s hard to get as enthusiastic as I would like to. Now, the Knicks are trying maybe to get LeBron James. Now, that would make it very exciting in New York. So I’ll watch that. I’m not sure exactly what will happen. And of course the Pacman’s going to win. I mean, is there any doubt? (Applause.)

QUESTION: All right. One of our questions for today’s forum was sent through the video-sharing website YouTube. Here’s that question, Secretary, from (inaudible).

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, (inaudible) network. Happy – the chance to talk with you, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. I just want to clarify some questions regarding your State Department reports on the issues on human rights violations by the Philippine Government and by the armed forces in the Philippines. What is your position regarding these issues? And what are your concrete proposals or concrete actions to end the conflict here in our country? Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, thank you, and I’m delighted to know that this forum here at the university is connected up to so many places around the country, and maybe even beyond the country. I think that there are Filipinos who live elsewhere outside of the country who are actually tuned in, so I say hello to everyone.

The United States believes very strongly in the importance of human rights. It is something that is part of our founding document, the Bill of Rights, which you know has had an influence on your own constitution and your own bill of rights. And it is very important that we constantly work toward protecting human rights.

Now, it is difficult even in my own country. We are not perfect. I will be the first to say that. But it is important to keep trying, it’s important to have an independent judiciary that keeps trying, it’s important to have a military and a police force that is sensitive to that. It’s important for the faith community to speak out on behalf of human rights. And I know that there has been some questions here in the Philippines, but I also know that there have also been some very important efforts to try to deal with human rights problems.

So it’s not perfect here, like it’s not perfect anywhere, and it’s up to civil society to constantly be making human rights an issue inside of your own country. The United States will help. We will provide training and support to be sure that the institutions of government are protecting human rights. And I am encouraged by what I hear about the progress in the peace efforts that are going on between the government and MILF, and that is it hopeful that there can be a resolution of the conflict.

I really believe that negotiation to end conflicts and not being discouraged is really important. The MILF is going to continue in the process with the monitoring or the facilitating role that the contact group, and particularly Malaysia, is playing. And I hope it comes to a very positive result, because there’s so much work to be done in the Philippines. To go back to the very first question about poverty, there’s so much work to lift up people and provide more opportunity for people that conflicts need to be resolved so that you can focus on trying to help each individual live up to his or her God-given potential.

QUESTION: Can I just follow up? You talked about human rights, and for a while, the State Department had – was critical of the Philippines performance in terms of human rights. How would you gauge it now? Did you talk about it with President Arroyo?

SECRETARY CLINTON: We did. We’ve talked – I talked about it in my official meetings, and the State Department has pointed out areas that we believe could be improved. And I was pleased that the International Labour Organization was recently here in the Philippines to talk about abuses against workers’ rights, because it’s not only human rights in a political conflict context, but it is also what happens when people are trying to organize workers and other kinds of attempts to assert oneself in society.

So we will continue to raise questions, but we’ll also continue, as a friend does, to offer whatever assistance we can.

QUESTION: Well, let – now, Secretary Clinton, let’s go down to Mindanao where we’re joined by our anchor Ces Oreña-Drilon. Ces, what do you have there?

QUESTION: Buenos dias, Maria, and Asalam Alakum to you, Secretary Clinton. That is the greeting from Zamboanga to you this morning. What about you Ateneons? What’s your greeting for Secretary Clinton?

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: Well, as you know, Secretary Clinton, in contrast to the protests in Manila against the Visiting Forces Agreement, the people here in Mindanao are more accepting and even thankful for the presence of U.S. troops, particularly because they live in the shadow of terrorism and kidnapping for – they have been living in the shadow of kidnapping and terrorism for many years now.

But there are still a lot of burning concerns; for instance, how effective is the U.S. assistance in fighting terrorism, do U.S. troops participate in combat operations? But I’m not asking the questions. And I would like to introduce to you our student here from the Ateneo de Zamboanga University. He is a third-year economic student, Mohamed Zen Nuno Yohan. He – Secretary, he has lived in the – one of the first Muslim communities here in Zamboagna, and he is a (inaudible) by birth and traces his roots to Zulu. And his dreams are really to be able to see a Mindanao where Muslims and Christians can live peacefully together.

Now, Yohan, what is – or, rather, Zen, what is your question for Secretary Clinton?

QUESTION: Before I ask my questions, I’d like to greet Madame Secretary good morning, my warmest greetings from the south, Asalam Alakum. The U.S. – the United States and the Philippines have a long history. What is the direction of the Philippine-U.S. relationship?

SECRETARY CLINTON: (Inaudible) so much and greetings to all who are there. And I want to take your question and Ces’s comments and respond in this way. The United States and the Philippines do have a long history of partnership and of friendship, of alliance, and we want to continue to be a good friend and a good partner.

In respect to the conflict in Mindanao, we have provided training and assistance, but not involvement in combat by United States forces. It is a facilitating and supportive role to fight those who would disrupt communities, who would engage in terrorist activities – unfortunately, the kind of horrible acts like beheadings and kidnappings and the things that are so contrary to every religion, contrary to every faith.

So I’m hoping that the conflict will be drawn to a close over the next months. I know that everyone’s working very hard on that. But then there has to be a lot of dialogue between people. There has to be a commitment to build a better future. There are many examples of Christian and Muslim communities living very peacefully and productively, side by side. And what we want for you is that same future so that there will be the opportunity to pursue one’s religious faith, but there will also be the equal opportunity to participate in one’s society and to have one’s opinions heard and respected, and to be a full-functioning citizen.

So we are going to continue to provide support where appropriate, in partnership, and in pursuance of the friendship that we feel for the people of the Philippines.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. You want – I believe you have a second question for the Secretary.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, despite your demanding schedule being the Secretary of the State, how do you find time with the former President Bill Clinton and your beautiful daughter Chelsea?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, well, we try to schedule ourselves so that we have time together, which is the most important thing to us. And when – my husband travels nearly as much as I do, sometimes it’s even more, depending upon the time of year and what his obligations are. He’ll be going to the Middle East today on a long-scheduled trip.

But then we will come back home together in the weekend and just do what people like to do. We like to take long walks, we like to go to movies, we like to go out to dinner, we like to catch up on our sleep, the kinds of respite from our busy lives. And I’m lucky that my daughter lives in New York. In fact, just last weekend, my husband and I were at her apartment visiting with her and catching up on her life. So we stay in touch through telephoning, and I was just actually talking to my husband as I turned in to the university and saw all the students out there, and I told him I had to hang up because I was going to the university and to this forum.

So it’s pretty ordinary and normal, which is what I really like. I like just being at home and having a chance to decompress, and that’s what we look forward to.

QUESTION: All right. Thank you very much, Yohan, for your questions, and thank you to you, Secretary Clinton, from here in Zamboanga.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thanks to everyone.

(Commercial Break.)

MODERATOR: Secretary, I have to ask this question because it was brought up. You’re in politics, your husband is in politics. Is Chelsea going to go into politics? Is that inevitable?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I don’t think so. I think that she has really carved out her own life and her own privacy and her own group of friends and social circle which she finds very rewarding. And she – I think she respects and appreciates the political world, but has no plans for being part of it at this time in her life.

MODERATOR: Well, we’ve got a long time. We’ll see. Anyway, let’s go to Dumaguete. We’re joined by our other anchor, Tony Velasquez. He’s down there right now. Tony?

QUESTION: All right. Thank you very much and good morning to all of you there in UST, good morning to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Well, as you know, Dumaguete City has been called the city of gentle people, and you’ll probably find out why when we talk to Anna Espino. She’s a third-year economics and political science double major here at the Silliman University. Also a champion debater, Ana has come out in one of our ANC programs, Square Off, several times --

QUESTION: Yes, yes.

QUESTION: -- leading her team to several victories over the other universities. So a gentle question, perhaps, from Anna for Secretary of State Clinton.

QUESTION: Good morning, Madame Secretary.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning, Anna.

QUESTION: I’m an economics student. I’m an economics student, so I would like to know, will the effort of your government to reverse the recession affect your adherence to free trade principles?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Anna, thank you and congratulations on being a champion debater. That’s quite an accomplishment.

QUESTION: Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I think that we are reversing the affects of the global recession, not only in the United States, but we’re beginning to see some positive signs elsewhere. And I really want to commend the Philippines. Until the recession, I think you had 34 or 35 straight quarters of positive growth, which is really the best way to end poverty, is to grow out of it.

But what we are seeing is a slow move back to economic stability. In the United States, we are committed to free trade, but we also would like to see trade agreements recognize the rights of workers to benefit from free trade, because if the free trade benefits only go to the top of society, that doesn’t change the economic well-being of the larger society, which we would like to see free trade do.

And we also think that we have to take into account the environment in trade agreements. We now know that climate change – and you’ve suffered through these horrible storms over the last months – is having a very tangible effect on how people are living because of droughts, because of increasing storm activity. There are all kinds of problems, and we have to tackle that.

So we don’t want free trade to encourage climate change; we want it to help discourage climate change. So we’re going to continue to promote trade and economic activity, but we would like to see it have a positive impact on workers and the environment.

QUESTION: Thank you, Madame.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Say hello to all the gentle people. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: All right. Thank you very much, Anna, for that question. I hope Secretary Clinton was able to give you a proper response --

QUESTION: Yes, definitely.

QUESTION: -- something that you can write about in your term paper, I suppose.

QUESTION: Exactly, exactly.

QUESTION: All right. Back to you there in UST.

MODERATOR: Thanks very much, Tony. Secretary Clinton, you’ve been talking – your career has been – has – you’ve spent a lot of focus on human rights, and I know that the Obama Administration’s policy now is constructive engagement. And it’s being applied with Burma; you had a high-level visit there. And you’re going to Singapore and you’re going to meet with the Burmese again.

Can we expect, as a result of the recent new strategy, that something significant will be announced in Burma in – by Burma in Singapore with regard to loosening restrictions, say, on Aung San Suu Kyi?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Ricky, I doubt it. I think this is a long-term effort that requires a lot of patience. And it is important to commend the Philippines. This government and your country have been some of the strongest voices on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi and I thank you for that. I think that her courage in standing up for human rights and for political rights and democracy is really extraordinary because she’s paid a big price for it, having been unable to be with her husband as he was dying; she hasn’t seen her children in years.

So I’m hoping that we’re able to influence the leadership in Burma to begin an internal dialogue inside their own country, bringing the opposition parties, bringing the ethnic minorities who have been so oppressed, beginning a conversation that could create the conditions for free, fair and credible elections, which they are planning to have next year.

There is no doubt in my mind that the leadership in Burma is on the wrong side of history. It’s just a question of how long they stay there and whether they can be nudged and encouraged to move toward more freedom and opportunity for their own people. Some of you probably remember the oppression of the Buddhist monks who were demonstrating for human rights, the problems of getting aid into the country after the horrible hurricane that struck Burma.

So there’s a lot to be done, but we’ve been in office, what, eight, nine months now. And I think that we’ve tried to reverse some of the policies that were not very productive that were really putting our country in a wrong light. But things don’t happen overnight; it takes a while. But I’m a very patient person and I think we have to be willing to just keep working and support the Burmese people in their aspirations.

MODERATOR: Some people have said that ASEAN’s decades-long strategy of what they call also constructive engagement has not succeeded. I’m wondering – you’re following a constructive engagement strategy now – what does the U.S. bring to the table that perhaps ASEAN has not been able to do?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we want to be in partnership with ASEAN. One of the first things I did as Secretary of State was to work toward the United States signing the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation so that we could be fully integrated into ASEAN. We’re very supportive of ASEAN. And I think that we’ve also made clear we’re not taking off our sanctions. We want to engage, but we want to send a clear message that until there are changes inside Burma, we’re not going to be able to help or support Burmese society and provide the kind of benefits that the United States can provide – investment, trade, as Anna mentioned earlier. There is so much that we could be doing which we will not do because we don’t want to support the current government.

But if we have a strong, cooperative approach by both ASEAN countries like Philippines, which is our partner – our dialogue partner – in ASEAN, and we send a message to China and India that have a lot of influence inside Burma that they should help us support the kind of changes toward democracy that would benefit the Burmese people, I think we can slowly but surely make progress. I’m not going to predict it’ll happen in a year or a couple of years, but I think if you look back on history, the engagement over time, and the openness to listen and support those inside a society who are trying to change make a big difference.

I just – before I came to Asia, I was in Berlin for the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. That did not happen overnight. That took many years. There were a lot of very brave people who stood up for human rights, who stood against the oppression of communism, and it built. And Pope John Paul had a huge role in giving voice to human rights against communism. So it started in the shipyards of Gdansk in Poland in 1980, it grew across Eastern Europe, and slowly but surely brought a wall down.

So I think you have to be committed. You can’t blow hot and cold. We can’t be involved one day and then withdraw the next day. You have to stay committed and you have to stay connected to the people who bravely fight for human rights and democracy, and that’s what we intend to do.

QUESTION: But the world today is a very, very different world from when you were First Lady. So all of these things have changed. The U.S. is involved in conflicts that are very difficult, including in the southern Philippines, where counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations – in the Philippines, in Iraq, in Afghanistan. Just in Afghanistan, ma’am, we’ve had a worsening situation there, the UN pulling out.

I guess what lessons has the U.S. learned in terms of dealing with situations where terrorists are operating inside insurgency situations?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think there are many lessons, but one of the most important is that the people themselves have to be willing to stand up against terrorism. I mean, what we just heard from the young man who was speaking earlier, that conflict has – cannot be permitted to intimidate people, as hard as that is.

There is absolutely overwhelming evidence that in Afghanistan, the people there do not want to see the return of the Taliban. They know that what happened to them in the past – young girls being taken out of school, women unable to go for medical assistance, being essentially imprisoned in their homes, denied their human rights, the kind of arbitrariness that occurred on a regular basis with stonings and beheadings and all kinds of terrible abuses – nobody wants to go back to that.

But people have to be given support to stand against it, and that’s really what counterinsurgency and counterterrorism is about. We’re not interested, in the United States, of staying in Afghanistan. It’s a country that we want to see defend itself. So the most common comment that we hear from around the country is from people who say “We want your help to enable us to defend ourselves, and then once we can, we want you to leave.”

Well, that’s exactly what we want. Whether it’s in the Philippines or Afghanistan or anywhere that terrorism is trying to intimidate people. It’s a small group of people who try to impose their will on the great majority of people through the kind of brutal behavior and intimidation, and people need to stand up against that. People of faith, people in governments, people in business, in civil society – people need to say, no, there is no justification in any faith for this kind of action, and we will not permit you to determine our future. So the United States wants to be a partner for those who are willing and able to stand up for themselves and that’s what we see happening in the Philippines. (Applause.)

QUESTION: Secretary Clinton, it’s my turn. My name is Pinky Webb. Mine is a very simple question. Americans have long enjoyed equal opportunity, equal rights. When do you think the United States will have its first female president?

SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.) Well, I’m probably the last person you should ask – (laughter) – because I certainly tried. (Laughter.) I hope that – (applause) – I hope that that happens for a lot of reasons. It was very significant historically. When our presidential nominating campaign was between a woman and an African American. I mean, that was such a great symbol of our country. And I was very proud to see Barack Obama inaugurated as our President, and very honored to work with him in his Administration.

But the Philippines is ahead of us. You’ve had two woman presidents. So I really should ask you what’s the secret here, because it’s quite a tribute to your society that you are choosing people on the merits in a democratic process. And I think that that will come to pass in our own country. Really, the equality between men and women is one of the most important unfinished challenges in the 21^st century, because women and men together have to be committed to a future of opportunity and prosperity and peace and progress. And in countries that do not provide support for women to be empowered to make their own decisions, to have an education, they do not succeed in today’s world. They can be a negative force, but it’s very hard for them to be a positive force. And therefore, I think that it’s not only electing a woman president, but it’s making sure that every child, boy and girl, have a chance to fulfill their own aspirations, and that’s what I think you are trying to do here and that is certainly what we are committed to doing in the United States.

QUESTION: Thank you, Secretary. (Applause.) And we will again take a question from one of the students here in UST. Her name is Jackie Chan. (Laughter.) And I’m serious.

QUESTION: No relation to the actor.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, I was gonna say, yeah, that’s quite a name.

QUESTION: Good morning, Madame Secretary.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning.

QUESTION: I would like to ask what is a major – do we have any – or you can say the major changes we can expect for the foreign policy agenda of the U.S. under the President Obama Administration?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think that there have been a lot of changes in our approach and our openness and our willingness to reach out to people with whom we do not agree. Certainly the President on the very first day signed an order to close Guantanamo, which was a very strong action that symbolized a change from the prior administration of our outreach to Russia, to China, to other countries that we think we have to be working with, not against for the good of the world.

We’re trying to find positive cooperation, not competition in the political arena. There’ll be plenty of competition in the economic arena that we’re going to be pursuing, but we want to find areas of common agreement where we can work together. We have made it clear that human rights and democracy are very important. We define it broadly. We happen to think that looking at climate change is not only an environmental issue, but a human rights issue, because certainly, if we don’t protect our planet, we will undermine the lives and the livelihood and the rights of many people living with us together on this wonderful earth. We are very committed to women’s rights as human rights, because we think that that is a clear challenge that we should be helping to address.

We are working on food security. We’re having a very intensive approach toward trying to help countries improve their own agriculture. I had a fascinating conversation last night at dinner with the President about how here in the Philippines, you’re working on hybrid rice that can withstand typhoons and withstand excessive water. We’re also working with people in Africa on hybrid rice and other seeds that can withstand drought. So we need to bring research and science to agriculture. I mean, all of these are important priorities of the Administration. And we want to see governments held more accountable to their own people.

We want to see efforts against corruption and more transparency and more accountability. And I think that the new technology provides a tool for that. And of course, the President’s campaign was all about new technology, and we’re carrying that into our Administration, so that for example, we’re encouraging young people to use social networking to report corruption, to organize, to achieve goals in your society. We’ve seen examples of that. In Colombia, for example, a young person put together a huge demonstration against the insurgents. In Iran after the elections, young people were twittering to say where they were going to be to demonstrate. So I think that we’re trying to take the tools of the 21^st century and apply them to 21^st century diplomacy. And we want to emphasize development on a par with diplomacy and defense. So those are some of our approaches.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Hope to see you soon.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. (Applause.)

QUESTION: Secretary, you were talking a little bit about corruption. And let me just follow it up, because corruption is an issue in Afghanistan, it’s an issue in Pakistan, and, as you know, it’s an issue here in the Philippines. What can the United States do or can the United States do more to nudge friendly, but corrupt countries, to be more accountable and less corrupt?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we are trying to do that. One of the programs that we have, the Millennium Challenge Account, requires that countries meet a certain level of anticorruption standards, and we are trying to promote that. We are looking for ways to link more of our aid to demonstrations that the aid gets to where it’s intended and that it doesn’t get siphoned off, as too often has been the case. But the biggest tool against corruption in any society is public exposure and citizens standing up and saying that they’re not going to accept it, for it to be an issue in the political system, especially of a democracy. And the United States wants to encourage that, to provide tools, again, go back to technology. I think that there’s an enormous amount of potential. And I know this is one of the most texting nations in the world. And so I think that there is a way of communicating and exposing and holding up to the bright light of public exposure any kind of corruption at any time. And I would really urge countries to do that, citizens to do that, and we’ll do our part to try to push as well.

QUESTION: Can I toss to you, ma’am, a question from online? This is actually something that made us all laugh. But one of the people – a young girl asked if you had a crush, aside from Bill Clinton, who would it be? (Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, you mean, when I was a lot younger? (Laughter.) Yes. (Laughter.) But I don’t think I should go any further. (Laughter.) I – well, like all young girls, I had lots and lots of crushes, both on boys I knew and people in the media, entertainment stars. Many, many, many, many years ago, when I was young, there was a singer in the United States whose name was Fabian. Some of you who are my age remember – (laughter) – and I was president of the Fabian fan club (laughter) – and there were, like, three of us in it – (laughter) – but we took it very seriously. And then, of course, I was a huge Beatles fan. And I later in life got to meet Paul McCartney, which you know was an exciting opportunity for me.

Now, my 90-year-old mother, who lives with us, has always had sort of a crush on Mick Jagger. (Laughter.) Don’t ask me why. I like him a lot, but my mother really, really likes him. And she’s gone to two of his concerts. And one of the best things I ever did for my mother was introduce her to Mick Jagger. (Laughter.) So I think it doesn’t matter what age you are, sometimes you can have little bits of pieces of crushes. But that’s all part of having fun in life and enjoying yourself. And I think that in this country, there are a lot of basketball players who are the object of crushes, I’m told. And I totally get that, except, you have to realize if you meet them in person, it hurts your neck after a while. (Applause.)

QUESTION: Mrs. Clinton, let’s go back to (inaudible) where Sess wants to throw a question at you. Sess, what do you have?

QUESTION: Secretary, on a more serious note, peace has been so illusive here in Mindanao. And just yesterday, another kidnap victim, Irish missionary, Father Michael Sinnott was released through the help of the MILF. The U.S. has watched the peace talks between the government – the Philippine Government and the MILF closely. And I’d like to ask what kind of assistance can your government give to see finally a fruitful conclusion to the peace process?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Sess. And we share your hope that there is a final and soon resolution to the peace process. The Government of the Philippines is responsible for this process. It is something that we support, but we’re not involved in. There’s an international contact group of countries that are being supportive, and certainly Malaysia which is playing an active role.

But we believe strongly that when it’s possible to create the conditions for peace, as it seems to be with the MILF, it’s very important to move to try to realize that, because that helps to bring local people back into society and have them be speaking out for what they want inside the political system, not outside the political system. And that further isolates the hardcore terrorists who have no interest in participating in democracy, have no interest in the political process. They want to impose their will, their version of reality on everybody else. So I think working for peace in Mindanao is really important, not only for the people of the Philippines, but for people everywhere who can see that, yes, there may be disagreements, but we can come to some resolution. And then, to set forth a development strategy that will really reward the people of Mindanao with a better future that everyone can invest in.

QUESTION: But, ma’am, largely, the U.S. has pursued a socioeconomic approach in terms of helping in Mindanao. Has – it hasn’t actually been successful. The closest we’ve come to a peace agreement was just thrown out the window because it offered a political solution. Do you think that a political solution is necessary for this, or can a socioeconomic approach, both in the Philippines and perhaps in Afghanistan, can it work?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I think it has to go hand in hand. I don’t think it can be one or the other. I think there has to be a socioeconomic approach, because you want people to see the results of their participation in society, that there will be more schools built, there will be more health clinics delivered. There will be more assistance on economic development. But there ultimately has to be a political framework within which that socioeconomic activity takes place. So I see it as a joint strategy. And certainly, the United States has provided a lot of aid in Mindanao, working with different groups, trying to create more economic prosperity. But the political negotiations are proceeding on a very important track. And ultimately, will make the difference as to whether or not peace will come to Mindanao.

The only other point I would make is that it is, as I understand it, important that whatever agreement is reached be reached within the constitution and the laws of the Philippines. You can’t have a peace agreement that gives one group of people more rights than other groups of people within your country. That would be creating more problems. So whatever is worked out within the political framework has to be respectful of the constitutional and legal requirements of the nation, and I think everybody understands that. Because you’re right, one of the attempts was thrown out because it didn’t correspond with existing laws and constitutional requirements. But I think that everybody is now working toward an agreement that will do that.

QUESTION: Would you characterize it as one step forward, two steps back – where we are today?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, no. I think from what I hear in the briefings that I received yesterday, it is really a fresh approach to try to make sure that the agreement can be realized. And there is an impetus because, of course, the President’s term will expire, and I think everyone believes that it would be important to get this done because you don’t want to start over again. I remember very well, when my husband got so close to Middle East peace back in 2000, there were those who thought, well, he’s getting toward the end of his term, maybe we could get a better deal with a new administration. And in fact, nothing was done. So for eight years, all the progress – and we got so close – and if it had been just pushed over the line, maybe would have gotten somewhere. But after my husband left office, then President Yassir Arafat said, “Well, now, we’ll take that deal.” Well, he wasn’t president anymore.

So strike while the iron is hot is an old saying. When people are in the mood and willing to make peace, do not sleep, do not rest until you finally get there. Because as the bible tells us, blessed are the peacemakers. I mean, we need to be focused on bringing peace wherever we can so that people will have more stability in their lives. They can plan on a better future. But we can also isolate those who are not interested in peace at all. They’re only interested in conflict and terrorism.

MODERATOR: Well, you know, Secretary Clinton, it’s a little past 9 o’clock, and I’d like to thank you for spending a little bit more time with us. I understand you’ve agreed to spend a few more minutes. So I’m going to give a chance to Tony Velasquez, who’s been down in Dumaguete. He’s been dying to ask you at least one question. So let’s throw it down to Tony so he can get in there.

Tony.

MR. VELASQUEZ: Well, thank you very much, Ricky. And good morning, again, to you, Secretary Clinton. You know, the people here at Silliman University cannot offer you an honorary doctorate position, just like President Arroyo did in Malakanyang, but they would like to offer you their very own “i-heart” Silliman University pin right here. (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Tony, and thank you, all the students.

QUESTION: And if you can’t get it right now from us, they’ll send it to you by FedEx. All right.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good.

MR. VELASQUEZ: Well, as a follow-up just to the questions that were already posed by Maria and also by Ricky there, we’ve heard about these series of meetings with U.S. diplomats, with high officials of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. I wonder if you could be at liberty to share with us perhaps what kind of advice or consultation that these officials had with the MILF hierarchy that could perhaps lead to a softening possibly of positions both on the MILF side and maybe on the government side?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Tony, the United States wants to help facilitate peace. I mean, that is one of our goals. And if we can be helpful in talking with the government or talking with the leadership of the MILF, we stand ready to do so. But ultimately, the decision must be made between the government and the MILF itself. Malaysia is trying to be helpful and other countries are trying to be helpful. We all want to see an end to this conflict. But we cannot substitute our judgment for those who are at the table, actually making the peace. But certainly, as we’ve heard this morning, this is on the minds of the people of the Philippines.

All of the questions that we’ve had from remote locations as well as here, really suggest to me that the people of this country want to see an end to this conflict. And that is what I hope will happen. And we are going to do whatever is appropriate, to offer advice or suggestions. But we want to support the process that the government is running with the MILF. There’s going to be, I think, a resumption of meetings in Kuala Lumpur starting next week. So that’s what we want to focus on – that everyone should be doing whatever we can. And I have to just say that, to me, the conditions for peace are ripe. People really want to see it. And I hope that no one misses this opportunity because it will make a very big difference in the lives of the people of Mindanao and of the entire country.

QUESTION: But Mrs. Clinton, a lot of analysts are pointing out that this Administration may have neither the popularity nor the political will to actually strike an agreement before the end of – before May 2010. From your chats, your dealings with President Arroyo, what insight can you offer us?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think President Arroyo is very committed. And I think that lots of times making difficult decisions by nature cannot be popular. You have to do what you think is right, and you have to make a tough decision. I think she is fully prepared to do that.

You may not know this, but your president actually went to college with my husband. And I’ve seen pictures of them both when they were freshmen at Georgetown and looking very young, but very enthusiastic. And I think that the president is committed. She wants to see this done. And in fact, what I’ve often found is that it is easier to make these difficult decisions when you’re on the way out of office, because you know what’s at stake and you are willing to brave the political fires. And I think the president and her team is very committed to doing this.

QUESTION: You’re very optimistic. I – Pinky, you want to throw – I would like to ask you, we’ve got elections coming up in May 2010. Our state of democracy, we’ve come from people power in 1986, largely a promise that was unfulfilled. We seem to be in the same place where we were now. How would you gauge where we are as a democracy, and then what do you see moving forward?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think that there is always a difficulty in fulfilling the promise of democracy. But you’ve just – there is no better system. As hard as democracy is, as frustrating, as disappointing as it can be, it is by far the best system that human beings have ever devised. And I know that you’re going to be moving toward automated elections, which I think is a very positive step forward.

QUESTION: It’s the first time ever, though, that a country anywhere around the world is going to go from fully manual to fully automated without a dress rehearsal.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I know it’s challenging. But I would just hold up the example of India, the world’s largest democracy. India adopted automated computerized voting several elections ago. We think about India with more than a billion people, something like a half a billion, 600 million vote, illiterate people vote by looking at the pictures on the punch card at the – both the faces and the symbols of parties.

And what I was so impressed by is that the way India has set this up – and I do not know how the Philippines has actually set it up – they took it out of politics. It is run by a board of civil servants so that the politicians of any party are not involved in it. And it is so highly effective that nobody questions the results of the elections. Well, that is what I hope for you.

But based on our own experience, there will be some bumps in the road. When we moved toward automation, we had some problems, but you just keep working on it and keep perfecting it. And there could be some dry runs, not of a full election, but trying out the technology, making sure you know how it works, educating voters about it. But in many places, it’s proven to be quite successful, and I hope the same for you.

QUESTION: Thank you. I’ll throw to you an online question, a question that’s come in. The United States doesn’t seem to walk the talk in terms of its climate change policy. I guess, just to elaborate, some of that – the U.S. – your husband failed to sign the Kyoto agreement, and now we’re going towards Copenhagen. The U.S. is perceived as protecting big business interests at the expense of the environment. How would you answer this?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, back when my husband and Al Gore were in the White House, there was so much less understanding in the United States of climate change. And we were very active in negotiating Kyoto. Of course, Al Gore was instrumental in it. But our Congress rejected it overwhelmingly, and then for eight years, we had a president whose administration denied climate change.

But I want you to just think about what we’ve done in the last nine months, is we’ve passed a big stimulus bill with $89 billion for clean energy technology, which we are now rolling out. We have, through regulation, increased the emissions standards on cars and on utility plants. So we’re not waiting for congressional action; we are moving ahead in the Obama Administration, and we passed a very aggressive bill out of the House. So we’ve passed it in one House; we’re working in the Senate.

But we’re going to go to Copenhagen 100 percent committed to creating a framework agreement. We probably – we doubt that we can get to the legally binding agreement that everybody wants, because too many countries have too many questions. But we do think that we can come up with a very strong framework agreement, and we encourage countries like the Philippines to be prepared to take advantage of the financing that the developed countries will put forward for adaptation. And that’s how we see the potential progress coming out of Copenhagen.

MODERATOR: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Do we still have time for questions?

MODERATOR: Yeah. We still have her here. Keep asking.

MODERATOR: Okay, all right. I’m curious, Secretary Clinton, to find out about your talks with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Did she say if she was stepping down in 2010, or if she’s planning to run for congress?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we didn’t get into that. We talked about climate change, we talked about Burma, we talked about all of the regional and global issues; certainly, the economic recovery, the national disasters that you have been coping with, and what more we can do to help. We had a really very comprehensive discussion about issues.

But I think that what we see as our partnership and our friendship with the Philippines goes from administration to administration to administration. We are committed to the people of the Philippines. We are committed to the democracy of the Philippines. We have many Filipino Americans who are in constant contact with friends and relatives here. And the president was very, very focused on looking at what kind of progress we could make in the remaining months of her term as president.

MODERATOR: All right. Secretary, you know, we’ve got so many people online who were trying to get a little bit of their questions in. Let’s see what we’re seeing online through ABS-CBNNews.com. So far, there are 1,800 online viewers in our chat room. Karl gets straight to the point: Would you like GMA to extend her term after nine years in office? I think you already answered that to some extent with Pinky’s question.

And finally, R82 has a question that concerns a lot of Filipinos: When will the U.S. change its immigration policies? Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain have been employing thousands of Filipinos through skilled migration by a point system. Any plans for the U.S. to do something like that?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we’re hoping that we can achieve comprehensive immigration reform, which is something that I feel very strongly about. I championed it as a senator from New York. I championed it in my presidential campaign. We have so many priorities. I mean, I can’t even adequately describe what it was like coming into office eight years after the prior administration when problems had been stacked up. It felt like there were thousands of planes circling in the air that we had to bring safely to a landing, and immigration reform is one of those.

The President’s focus has been so directed toward healthcare reform, which is something that is long overdue, something that my husband and I worked on. So we hope to get to comprehensive immigration reform and then this issue will be part of the legislation that we introduce.

QUESTION: Well, Mrs. Clinton, I want to bring it back a little bit to you. You talked about your life in politics and how it’s affected your family. It has had an effect on your family. If you go back and look over decisions you and your husband have made, is there anything you would change?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, of course, of course. There are many things. I mean, I mentioned one of them, healthcare. I wish that we had taken a different approach or been more successful back in 1993 and 1994. I think that any time you’re in politics as long as Bill and I have been, and you are involved in making so many decisions, hindsight is 20/20. It’s like being the coach on the couch watching a basketball game and you’re thinking you should have done that and you should have done this. Well, we can look back and say there are many areas where we would have liked to have pursued it differently or made a different call at the time.

But overall, I’m very, very proud and grateful for the service that we’ve had. I think that my husband’s two terms in office, the work that I did in the Senate, now the work I’m privileged to do with President Obama, is aimed at very clear efforts to improve the lives of people and to give people who are willing to be responsible the tools to improve their own lives.

I don’t believe government is the answer to everything. I do not believe that. I think that any society rests on a strong leg – it’s like a three-legged stool – a strong leg of a functioning government that responds to the will of the people, a functioning market economy that creates opportunities for people, and then civil society which includes faith communities and organizations that create all of the positive energy that often is most meaningful in a person’s life.

So you have to look and say, well, are you furthering the goals of your society? And I feel very positive about what we’ve tried to do.

QUESTION: But what about the personal impact of having this power on your family?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think that it is a choice that people make. No one says you must go into politics, you must stay in politics. But it’s the kind of service that Bill and I have been called to do, and we’re very grateful that we’ve had a chance to do that.

QUESTION: Okay. Thank you. Do you have any message to the Filipino people, Secretary Clinton, please?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, it is such an honor. This is my third trip to the Philippines and it is such an honor to be back. And I look forward to returning in the future, because our friendship and our partnership is one that I highly value and that President Obama wants to broaden and deepen, that together we can make a difference for the people of the Philippines and improve the future for our world.

I think also we are enriched in the United States by the many contributions of Filipino Americans. I count many among my friends, and I have learned a great deal from them and I am so grateful for their contributions, both in the United States and back home here in the Philippines.

So I wish all of you well. And we will continue to work with you, to support you, to provide assistance as we’ve done on many occasions, most recently in the wake of the terrible natural disasters, because we want to see the Philippines continue to grow and prosper. That is our only interest in being your friend and being your partner, and I look forward to working with you.

Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

QUESTION: Thank you.

The United States Responds to Asia-Pacific Disasters

Office of the Spokesman

Washington, DC

November 12, 2009

Following a series of devastating natural disasters that hit the Asia-Pacific region in the past two months, the United States has responded with over $34.5 million in comprehensive assistance for disaster relief, recovery and reconstruction. Recent US disaster relief for the Asia-Pacific region includes:

Philippines: U.S. forces were the first international government responders to help Philippine authorities in search and rescue missions following Tropical Storm Ketsana, which flooded Metropolitan Manila in late September. Since then, USAID has provided $5.3 million for disaster assistance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided $8.5 million in food aid, and the U.S. Department of Defense provided over $800,000 for emergency relief supplies, logistics and transportation. On November 11, Secretary Clinton announced in Manila an additional $5.2 million for assistance to flood and storm victims, bringing total U.S. assistance to $19.8 million.

Indonesia: In response to the September 30 earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra that resulted in over 1,000 deaths, USAID provided more than $7.1 million for immediate emergency relief; shelter and settlements; water, sanitation and hygiene; economic recovery; and health assistance. The U.S. Department of Defense provided $4.3 million in immediate medical relief and air transportation. To date the total contribution is $11.4 million.

Vietnam: For Vietnam’s victims of Typhoon Ketsana, the United States contributed a total of $750,000 in disaster relief. A $100,000 contribution through the International Federation of the Red Cross provided household kits for 13,000 people in the hardest hit areas. In addition, USAID provided over $500,000 for economic recovery and market systems and $150,000 for emergency relief supplies, logistics and transportation. USAID also gave $250,000 for storm relief and recovery following the severe flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Mirinae earlier this month.

Laos: In Laos, USAID provided $100,000 for emergency response activities and emergency supplies to Savannakhet Province and other areas affected by Typhoon Ketsana.

Samoa: The tsunami that slammed Samoa September 29 left 143 people dead and affected another 4,500. The United States has provided over $1.4 million for humanitarian assistance.

Tonga: The tsunami also left 9 dead and 470 affected in Tonga. USAID has provided $50,000 for humanitarian assistance.

Total USG relief to the Asia-Pacific region since September: Over $34.5 million.

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Remarks With Philippines Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Goldenberg Mansion

Manila, Philippines

November 12, 2009

FOREIGN SECRETARY ROMULO: Thank you all for joining us this afternoon. It is my privilege to welcome Secretary Hillary Clinton to Manila. She was here as First Lady with President Bill Clinton during our hosting of APEC in 1996, and this time she is here as the U.S. Secretary of State. In the issue that just came out, Time calls the Secretary the most powerful U.S. public diplomat in quite some time; let me add, also the most popular foreign secretary the world over, and in no country more so than here in the Philippines.

Welcome, Madame Secretary. Our long history as friends and allies is deeply rooted in our commitment to freedom and democracy. We fought and shed blood together in the foxholes of Bataan and Corregidor 67 years ago. And we are determined to deepen and broaden our partnership, and to work together in facing today’s challenges. When Typhoon Ketsana in Burma battered our cities and towns, among the first to come to our assistance was the United States – in personnel, in resources, in equipment, in helicopters, in soldier boats, bulldozers, you name it, forklifts.

In my area where I live, the first to rescue survivors were the U.S. Navy in the soldier boat. We are therefore honored to have the opportunity to personally express our deep gratitude to Secretary Clinton for the timely and substantial assistance given by the U.S. Government during our recent natural disasters. As Secretary Clinton has just said, she is now visiting us to show solidarity with our friends in the Philippines who have been battered and have suffered so much. Thank you, Madame Secretary.

I’ll now ask the Secretary to (inaudible).

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Secretary Romulo. I’m so pleased to be here, and I thank you for your warm welcome and the productive discussion that we had today with a number of the leaders of this government. It is always a pleasure for me to be part of something that is so positive as the reaffirmation of our broad and deep relationship, going back so many years together. And certainly, on a personal note, I am delighted to be back in the Philippines. I have very fond memories of my previous visits, and the warmth and generosity of the Filipino people is something that I am deeply grateful for.

I was saddened, as so many were in my country, over the loss of life in the recent storms and the flooding, and I want again to convey the sympathies of President Obama, of the Obama Administration and of the United States to the people of the Philippines. You have shown great resolve and resilience in the face of these calamities. I am proud that the United States has been your partner.

As the Secretary said, we were very pleased that we could respond quickly with our military assets. Filipino and American doctors worked side by side to help thousands of flood victims. We saw our military forces working together to airlift thousands of tons of food, equipment, and other vital cargo. Later today, I will visit a school that was damaged by the flooding, and I look forward to talking with the teachers and the students about what more the United States can do to help.

This cooperation is yet more evidence of the long friendship and broad partnership between the United States and the Philippines. As treaty allies, we are working to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the 21^st century. And I want to commend the Government of the Philippines, which is taking on an increasingly important leadership role in ASEAN, in APEC, across the Pacific region, and globally on issues such as nonproliferation, where the Philippines will be the chair of the Nonproliferation Treaty conference that will be held next year.

And we particularly are grateful for the Philippines’ work as our ASEAN dialogue partner. From a global recession and climate change, to the threats of violent extremism, our nations face shared challenges that demand shared solutions. We have a common commitment to advancing democratic values and human rights in the region, including in Burma. Today, the foreign secretary and I discussed how we can move forward on this comprehensive agenda together.

Of course, our two nations are linked by more than treaty. We have bonds of culture and commerce, we have shared histories and common hopes. The cemeteries here are filled with those who paid the ultimate sacrifice from both of our nations, who fought for freedom in the Pacific. Their memories continue to inspire our alliance, as do the values that they gave their lives to defend. And I am personally very pleased that an injustice has finally been corrected with the passage of the assistance for Filipino veterans who served side by side with our United States military forces.

I am also very proud that we have such a large, vibrant, active Filipino American community in the United States, and we want to do even more to demonstrate the connections between Filipino Americans and those here in the Philippines. Organizations such as Feed The Hungry have sent money and food to those most in need, and we look to making sure that those connections are even stronger.

So, sir, we talked about a lot today. We have a great opportunity to continue our work together, and I am confident that we can make the future even better than the present or the past. Thank you very much.

FOREIGN SECRETARY ROMULO: Of course.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Secretary Clinton. Thank you very much, Secretary Romulo. The first question will be raised by a member of the DFA press corps, Mr. (inaudible).

QUESTION: Good afternoon, Secretary Clinton. Welcome to the Philippines. This is our question: Will the U.S. forces continue helping Philippine troops in pursuing the Abu Sayyaf militants, considering that the Philippine Government is (inaudible) over the VFA? And what specific role does Washington want to play in the Mindanao peace process?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, let me say that the United States is committed to a strong partnership and alliance with the Philippines, and I am here today to reaffirm that commitment. The Visiting Forces Agreement is an important expression of our partnership. It is based on mutual respect and mutual interest. And our service members, as we have seen in these last natural disasters, are ready to provide assistance where it is asked for, and to work side by side with the military of the Philippines. I am proud of what our service members have done in helping to respond to the devastating storms and the floods.

With respect to the peace process, the United States supports the ongoing efforts of the Government of the Philippines to bring a comprehensive peace. People have been seeking such a peace, and I want the Philippines to know that the international community, including the United States, stands ready to assist. But this is ultimately up to the people of the Philippines and to your government leadership. We’re encouraged by the ceasefire, and the report that I received today about the negotiating efforts is very promising.

So we will wish the very best to those who are attempting to bring an end to the conflict and will support you in any way that is appropriate.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, ma’am. The second question will be asked by a member of the U.S. (inaudible) media.

QUESTION: Secretary Romulo, Secretary Clinton, (inaudible) for both of you. What can you tell us about the future of the U.S. advisory force in southern Philippines? Is it time to begin reducing its numbers so that the troops can be deployed in Afghanistan and elsewhere?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, let me say that I don’t discuss military decisions. That is more appropriately worked out between our governments and our militaries. But I will just reiterate that the United States stands ready to assist our friends in the Philippines who are seeking to counter terrorism and the threat of extremism, and we will be willing to support them in any way that is appropriate that they request. But the relationship between our countries and between our militaries is very strong and cooperative, and we look forward to continuing that.

FOREIGN SECRETARY ROMULO: Let me state that under the VFA, the United States forces are here to assist, advise, and train. It’s limited to that. As far as combat matters are concerned, that’s purely Filipino.

But on the other hand, in addition to the assisting, training, and advising, there is also the social-civic, as well as the humanitarian aspect of the undertaking. And the humanitarian aspect came out into the fore in the recent Ketsana, in part, where U.S. personnel were able to deploy not only personnel – I think there were about 2,600 – but also equipment, helicopters, soldier boats, forklift, bulldozers, and other things, and immediately assist our people.

And let me say that in my particular city, the one who left with the first search and rescue were U.S. Navy personnel with a soldier boat. So this is the other aspect. So between the two – the socioeconomic and the humanitarian, as well as the supporting, advising, and training – I think it has worked very well for us.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. The third question will be asked by Mr. Howie Severino of GMA-7.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, good afternoon. Welcome to the Philippines.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.

QUESTION: Ma’am, you were quoted at the Planned Parenthood national conference several months ago that, quote, “Reproductive rights will be a key to the foreign policy of the Obama Administration.” How will this principle be applied in the Philippines, especially considering the widely known opposition to artificial contraceptives here?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, of course, as with any policy, we work with our partners and our allies, and it is up to the people and the Government of the Philippines to accept any assistance that we might be willing to offer. So I know that this is a matter of concern in society here in the Philippines, and I respect that, and we certainly do not have any intention or plan to preempt or otherwise go beyond or around what the attitudes of society are.

On a personal note, I would only add that I believe strongly that family planning is an important aspect of development. And I’ve seen this around the world, and I think empowering women to be able to make choices that are in the best interests of the children they already have and the family size that they desire increases educational outcomes, it increases income generations, it provides a much stronger basis for human development.

And so the reason I said what I said, which you quoted from, is we have a lot of experience now that trying to empower and educate women so that they are able to make these decisions and they have access to family planning is not only a positive for the woman and her family, but for the larger society. And I think that is the other point that I would make, but again, I would reiterate all of these decisions are certainly up to the people and the Government of the Philippines.

MODERATOR: The fourth question will come from Mr. Matt Lee of the Associated Press.

QUESTION: My apologies, Mr. Secretary. As so often happens on these trips, there are developments from outside of the host country that the traveling press’s wires are asking a question on. (Laughter.) So with that –

SECRETARY CLINTON: They never apologize to me, sir. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: With that, Madame Secretary --

SECRETARY CLINTON: You’re having a very good influence on our American press.

QUESTION: As you know, Madame Secretary, Ambassador Eikenberry has expressed some deep concerns and reservations about a buildup – a large buildup of troops in Afghanistan, given the concerns about corruption in President Karzai’s government. I know that the President has not yet made his decision on how to go forward and that you are loathe to offer your advice to us before you give it to him, but I’m wondering if you could talk: one, about those concerns about corruption more broadly; and two, about whether those concerns should play a role in the determination of exactly how the U.S. goes forward in Afghanistan. Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Matt, let me make very clear that I continue to be loathe to share any of the advice that the President has received in the course of his review. I think it has been an extremely thorough and thoughtful process, and I will continue to honor the right of the President to hear from any of his government members or those outside of government, and to then add that to the process of his decision making.

But on the separate question with respect to corruption, lack of transparency, poor governance, absence of the rule of law, the concerns that have been expressed not only by the United States but by others, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown and many of our allies, are ones that I share. The Government of Afghanistan has to accept greater responsibility for its own defense by participating in the training and deployment of an effective, professional security force. It has to do more to respond to the legitimate needs of the people of Afghanistan to deliver services – not just security, but education and health, the kinds of services that the people of any country should expect from their government.

And we’re looking to President Karzai, as he forms a new government, to take action that will demonstrate, not to the international community, but first and foremost to his own people, that his second term will respond to the needs that are so manifest. And I think that the corruption issue really goes to the heart of whether the people of Afghanistan feel that the government is on their side, is working for them. Corruption is corrosive in any society. When leaders enrich themselves at the expense of their people, when they put their own fortunes ahead of the fortune of their people, it has a very unfortunate impact: People don’t trust the government, they don’t rely on the government, they can’t imagine a better life for themselves, because they don’t think their leaders are working to obtain that for them.

And so we are concerned and we have expressed those concerns, and we’re looking for measures of accountability and transparency that will demonstrate a clear commitment to the kind of governance and outcomes that the people of Afghanistan deserve to see from their government, and that the international community should be able to look to as we move forward in our efforts to try to rid Afghanistan of the terrorists that not only affect their lives, but pose a threat to us and to people around the world.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, take it out of the review because, again, I don’t want to get into the review. That’s the President’s prerogative. But of course, we’re looking at it. We look at it every day in the State Department. If we’re going to be providing development assistance, we want to be sure it gets to where it’s intended. I have, as you probably know, required that we look at every single contract that goes into Afghanistan, that we do an in-depth review to try to determine is it producing the results that we expect, is the money actually improving the lives of the people of Afghanistan or not. So even before the review, we were taking a hard look at how business is conducted inside Afghanistan.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, ma’am. And for our last question – and I’m sure a lot of you have questions to ask – we have Ms. Dana Batnag of Jiji press.

QUESTION: Good afternoon, ma’am. There is a scheduled meeting on Saturday in Singapore between the U.S. and Burma. Will you be the one leading the U.S. delegation? What is the U.S. strategic interests in Myanmar? And is the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi in the election next year necessary to make it credible?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first of all, there is not a meeting. There may very well be the opportunity for our leaders, including myself, including the President, to meet the leaders of Burma – something that we have not done before. But we just recently concluded a very successful visit by Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell and Deputy Assistant Secretary Scot Marciel, who is with me, to Burma, where they met at length with not only government officials, but more importantly, in an unmonitored setting with Aung San Suu Kyi, with members of her party, with others who represent opposition voices and concerns, with representatives of ethnic minorities that are worried about their treatment at the hands of the current government.

And we have made it very clear we are not lifting sanctions on Burma, but we are trying to encourage Burma to conduct the kind of internal dialogue with all of the stakeholders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, that could lead to there being fair, free, and credible elections next year. We think that is an essential first step. We are continuing to call for the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi. We believe that her detention over so many years is baseless and not founded on any concern other than that she is a leader of the political opposition.

So I don’t want to prejudge what the Burmese people themselves, if given the chance, might decide for themselves. But I will underscore our skepticism about an election that does not include all of the people or their representatives who are in opposition. It’s up to the individuals to decide who runs and who doesn’t run, but there should be no doubt that the United States wants to see an open, free, credible election process. And that’s what we’re calling on from the leadership of Burma, but we don’t believe that we can cause that to happen from the outside.

What we want to do, along with friends like the Philippines and other ASEAN members, is to encourage, urge, persuade the leadership of Burma to enter into this dialogue with their own people, to create the conditions for legitimacy that should be apparent when you have an election. And that’s what we’re looking to achieve.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, ma’am.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.) I was just wondering if there is a plan to release Suu Kyi so she would be able to participate or prepare for the coming – for next year’s election. Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, if we were in charge of the plan, that would be the plan, because we think she should be released. We don’t think she should be in detention. We believe that she has every right, as any person should have, and certainly that she has demonstrated over the years a commitment to democracy, to participate in the active democratic life of her country as she chooses, not as the United States chooses and not as the Burmese leadership chooses, but as she chooses.

So we’re going to continue to call for her unconditional release, and we want to see this kind of dialogue among all of the various parties within the country, and then they should determine how to go forward. It shouldn’t be up to us to determine that. So we want to create the process that would result in a free, fair, and credible election, so that whoever wished to participate or chose to participate would be able to do so, the results would be legitimate in the eyes of the world. That is what we are hoping for the Burmese people.

MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you very much. May we request, Secretary Romulo, for a final few words, if he so wishes?

FOREIGN SECRETARY ROMULO: Well, I’d like to thank, first of all, the Secretary of State for being with us today. We have had a very fruitful and productive meeting. And I’d like to thank the members of the press, both the foreign press and the local press, for the questions, which I think brought forth productive answers. And I hope that the Secretary will have a pleasant stay here in the Philippines, because as I said, the Filipinos love her. I told her that there are Hillary fans and fanatics here, and therefore we are most happy that she is here with us. Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Secretary Romulo. Thank you very much, Secretary Clinton. That concludes our press conference.

Briefing on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's Upcoming Trip to the Philippines

Joe Yun
Director of Maritime Southeast Asia 

Susan Reichle, USAID Acting Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance; Alan Dwyer, USAID Foreign Disaster Assistance Principal Regional Advisor for East Asia Pacific; and Rick Scott, USAID East Asia Director

Washington, DC

November 10, 2009

MR. TONER: Good morning. We’re very fortunate to have with us Joe Yun this morning from the Director of Maritime Southeast Asia; Susan Reichle, USAID’s Acting Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance; Alan Dwyer, USAID’s Foreign Disaster Assistance Principal Regional Advisor for East Asia Pacific; and Rick Scott, USAID’s East Asia Director, who are here with us today to preview the Secretary’s upcoming trip to the Philippines, although she’s actually en route, and to talk about humanitarian assistance in the wake of several recent natural disasters.

I’ll hand it off to you, Joe, and just to give an overview.

MR. YUN: Thank you very much, Mark, and good morning, everyone. Very happy to be here. Before I turn the floor to my USAID colleague, I just wanted to go over very quickly with you the Secretary’s trip to Manila and what she will do there, and put that little bit in context of her overall trip to Asia.

As you know, she will be there in the Philippines November 12^th to 13^th, and her stop before the Philippines is Singapore, and her stop after the Philippines is Singapore. In Singapore, of course, she will be doing the APEC ministerials from November 10^th to 12^th, and from after Manila, again in Singapore, she will be doing – helping President Obama with the APEC leaders meeting, which will be November 13^th to 14^th.

Let me talk a little bit about her trip to Manila. As you know, the Philippines is one of our oldest treaty allies. This is the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State since 2002, and that was when Secretary Powell was in Manila. With this visit, she will have been to all four treaty allies in East Asia, and those would be Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and of course, the Philippines. I think this is, if my memory is right, probably the first time a Secretary of State has been to four of our Asian treaty allies in a first year in office.

In the Philippines, she will meet – the Secretary will meet with senior government officials, and they will include, of course, Foreign Minister Romulo and President Arroyo. And I expect a lot of discussions will center around relief, disaster relief assistance, which my colleagues will go over with you, as well as number of bilateral and regional issues.

We’re very appreciative, especially in the region, of Manila’s role. Philippines is our dialogue partner for ASEAN, and later this week, actually on Sunday, there will be the first ever U.S.-ASEAN summit meeting. We call it leaders meeting. And the Filipinos were instrumental in organizing this meeting.

And just as an example of the heightened, I would say, much more emphasis on Southeast Asia as a whole, I would note that we will have a ambassador to ASEAN probably sometime next year, and he’ll be based in Jakarta, where the ASEAN Secretariat is. And as an example of the elevation we put on our overall relations with ASEAN and Southeast Asia, this really – this is the Secretary’s third visit to Southeast Asia this year. I think in February she was in Jakarta and Singapore, and a few months ago she was in Bangkok, and now of course, she’s going to Singapore and Manila.

And with the Philippines alone, we’ve had a number of visits. Defense Secretary Gates was there in June. Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack was there in October. And of course, earlier this year, President Arroyo was in Washington. So I think all that testifies to the kind of emphasis the Department as well as the U.S. Government is putting on Southeast Asia.

So let me end my formal remarks there and turn it over to Rick, and then maybe afterwards we can come back to some questions. Okay.

MR. SCOTT: Thanks, Joe. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk a little bit about what USAID does in the Philippines overall, which our friends from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance will put what they do within that context.

As Joe said, the Philippines is a longstanding ally, a U.S. ally, and it is Southeast Asia’s oldest democracy. We have been partners in development since after the Second World War in 1946. Today, our assistance partnership writ large with the government supports U.S. foreign policy interests by promoting and deepening cooperation on security, trade and investment, education, and global environment and health issues.

Development challenges in the Philippines continue to be substantial, but the Government of the Philippines has shown a real interest in having a better future, a positive future for the people of the Philippines. It developed its medium-term development plan for 2004 to 2010, and it listed in that plan several areas for the development of the Filipinos, including job creation, education, fiscal strengthening, local development, and economic progress outside Manila.

We work in partnership with the Government of the Philippines to support progress in all of these areas, and I’m going to talk just a little bit in broad strokes about some of the things that we do. We fund projects that improve the ability of the private sector to create new jobs. This includes strengthening the policy environment to make it easier for businesses to operate, offering credit to micro and small enterprises, working to increase agricultural productivity, improving economic infrastructure, and training youth so that they’re more employable. In fact, we have worked – one example is we have provided training in a lot of different kind of skills to 100,000 out-of-school youth in areas of the country most affected by poverty and conflict. We’ve also funded over 800 small-scale infrastructure projects – small roads, small bridges, ports, rehabilitation and so on. This improves the ability of small businesses to market their goods and farmers to get their agriculture produce to market as well.

We fund projects in governance and rule of law. We work with the Government of the Philippines on anticorruption measures. Projects in governance and rule of law focus on judicial reform, public financial management reform, revenue management, public administration, and court reform. And we assist Philippine Government agencies that deal with anticorruption, but we also are an example of how to manage projects. Our projects are really well-audited, and we’re examples of how to manage projects straightforward with transparency and with results.

Another area where we work is education. We focus on improving access to and the quality of education for children and youth. We fund improvement in basic education for girls and boys, and we find – which is really a great thing – we find that girls are really taking advantage of things that we have to offer in conjunction with the Philippine Government. And they’re staying in school and getting trained to take place in the workforce when they graduate.

So a big priority we have in education is decreasing the dropout rate for school-age boys. So we fund projects that enhance the quality of instruction by training instructors on how to use computers to enhance the curriculum and expanding computers and internet to schools around the country. In health, we work to improve the administration of health facilities, ensuring access to the poorest and disadvantaged communities. We support programs in HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, awareness and cure, and we support the training of local community health workers.

And, as with the education sector, we work closely with the private sector, enabling them to market health products and commodities, and to increase the contribution of private practitioners in promoting family health in low-income communities. Private practitioners, for example, have given their time on the weekends and days when they’re not working on HIV/AIDS awareness and training, avian flu awareness, and things of that matter or things of that ilk.

We also work in the environment. We work on biodiversity conservation, improving traditional and local capacity to manage key natural resources. Over a thousand miles – square miles – of forest and coastal areas are better protected as a result of USAID’s effort to improve natural resource management along with the government. We also fund projects to help local governments access water and sanitation, and then we train them on how to manage these water projects. And we’ve reached over 200,000 people with better water and sanitation.

And then recently, the Government of the Philippines passed a landmark climate change act. Some of it was based on the work that USAID funds in clean technology and climate change adaptation. And when natural disasters strike, USAID of course helps fund the rapid response humanitarian and relief activities, and USAID programs help the government to better prepare for the next, but inevitable in the Philippines, disaster. You’re going to hear more about that from my colleagues over here.

So in sum, we play a key role in moving the Philippines along the road to a more secure and prosperous future, and now I’ll turn it over to my colleague, Susan Reichle, who will talk to you more specifically about our response to the storms.

MS. REICHLE: Thank you. Good morning. It’s really a pleasure to be here with you today to talk a little bit about our response to the most recent disasters, and thank you, Rick and for the opening there. But before we begin on the details, we really just want to extend our deep condolences to the people in the Philippines who have really lost a tremendous amount by these three storms that have battered their country, and those that have lost loved ones in particular.

As you know, according to the Government of the Republic of Philippines, the statistics are startling. More than 10 million people have been affected by this storm. Up to a thousand people have lost their lives, 150,000 are living in shelters, have been displaced by their – from their homes, and 260,000 homes have been almost damaged or destroyed.

In the wake of not just one or two, but three storms, the U.S. Government – I’m really speaking about sort of the U.S. Government response as a whole – has been rapid and swift, working with the – our colleagues not just within the government, but also with our counterparts in order to provide that relief and recovery that is absolutely critical. USAID specifically in the wake of those – the storms has provided up to 5.7 million in emergency relief with already 3.8 million having been provided to date. This assistance includes procurement, transport, distribution of emergency materials, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene, the transport of emergency materials out of Dubai. We prepositioned materials in the Dubai warehouse as well as logistics support for the humanitarian assistance that is distributed throughout the country.

Relief supplies, just as examples, include stockpiles of 340 rolls of plastic sheeting for temporary housing, which, as I mentioned, is a critical need in the wake of these storms as people have been displaced and have lost their homes. 50,000 bars of soap – critical – the hygiene issues in these devastated areas. 23,424 hygiene kits and 23,000 10-liter collapsible water containers; access to water, as we know, is one of the critical needs in a disaster.

Our partners have been absolutely essential and working hard on the ground with the Philippine National Red Cross, as well as the International Office of Migration. I’m privileged today to have one of our colleagues, Al Dwyer, who was out on the ground in the aftermath of each of these storms and can help answer some of the specific questions that you may have in response, as he worked directly with our partners. In addition to the disaster response, we also have food aid that is continually provided to the Philippines. In FY 2010, we have provided up to 720 metric tons of PL 480 Title II emergency food assistance, which is equivalent to $1.2 million, and working with our partner at the World Food Program.

Some of you may have already heard about Secretary Vilsack’s announcement, and it was mentioned earlier. On October 26^th, while he was out in the Philippines, about – approximately 7,680 metric tons of food assistance valuing $8.4 million through the Food for Progress program, in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Philippines Department of Agriculture. And this 60-day supply with benefit approximately 438,000 affected individuals.

In addition, one of the points we would like to emphasize is, again, sort of the holistic response, not only working with our Philippine partners but as well within the U.S. Government. I mentioned the USDA, but as well DOD played an essential role, particularly in the early stages on logistic support. DOD Pacific Command provided equipment transport and logistics in the frame of 10 helicopters and six Zodiac boats for search-and-rescue, which were absolutely critical in the initial days, as well as airlift supply for emergencies to be delivered to the northern Philippines and the transport of food and relief supplies.

And then finally, DOD and USAID collaborated in medical relief teams in order to basically screen and assist 9,000 patients, as well as providing dental care to 350 people. DOD flights transported more than 260 people and moved nearly 115,000 pounds of cargo, as well as conducting assessments on debris and cleared roads.

So in total, the United States Government has provided $14.2 million to assist in the aftermath of the storms to date. And as my colleagues mentioned, we continue to work with the Government of the Republic of Philippines on the stabilization of this area.

Thank you.

MR. TONER: Great. We’ll just open it up to your questions. Joe, do you want to come up? And just please introduce yourselves and tell us your outlet.

MR. YUN: If this is a tough one it will be for my colleagues. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: I just have a quick question. I’m Andy from Reuters. Can you tell us, with the Secretary’s trip there, what element the security relationship will play in her talks with the Philippine leaderships? What is the status of American involvement in the southern Philippines? And what are some issues – is there anything she’s pressing for for more action there?

MR. YUN: I think there are two aspects of security relationship that she will want to discuss. One is the kind of thing we talked about, DOD and USAID working together. I would put that in the kind of basket of civil-military cooperation. And in fact, we do want to emphasize that especially in these cases where there are natural disasters, there is a lot of room for civil-military cooperation, and Philippines was just a case in point. It was quite lucky, actually, because just as we were – the storms were hitting, we were having a bilateral exercise between the Philippines and the U.S., and so we had a lot of Pacific Command assets in place. And I mean, we hold regular exercise with the Philippines, and a lot of them have to do with this kind of emergency.

Second issue that relates to that is, of course, the presence of our troops in Mindanao. We have some few hundred of them there, and there are two points I want to emphasize there. Number one, they are there at the invitations of the Philippines Government. Number two, their role is not to combat, but advise and work with the Philippines Government to fight terrorists, specifically the Abu Sayyaf group and also JI. So recently, we’ve had two people die in Jolo along with one Filipino. So terrorism threat down in Mindanao area is real, and I’m sure she will want to discuss with the Filipino leadership concerning how we go about that.

QUESTION: Is there – just as a follow-on, is there anything specifically that the United States is going to ask of them to – are there places where they feel that could be improved, what they’re doing in southern Philippines? Are the – is the Secretary satisfied with the way things are going?

MR. YUN: I think there are a lot of issues to discuss. There are a lot of issues to discuss there, and I think I’ll probably prefer to leave it at that, not get into to specific areas of those discussions.

Yeah.

QUESTION: I want to ask if given the experience in – this is probably better directed to your AID colleagues. But given the experience this time around dealing with the three storms and the magnitude, if you can comment on any lessons learned this time around that maybe – like you said, you had assets in place this time that maybe wouldn’t be the case the next time.

MR. YUN: Sue.

MS. REICHLE: Thank you. And it’s actually something that applies not just in the situation where you have three storms. One of the lessons learned that we have from really around the world is really prepositioning supplies. And so we are trying to do this around the world. And as was mentioned, we had the good fortune that actually there was an exercise that was taking place in that theater, in that region, and so we were able to access and really coordinate closely with DOD on the ground.

I think one of the things that, as you are probably aware of, the QDDR process, the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review that’s going on right now, these are some of the issues that we’re looking at – how do we take these opportunities when things work well? For example, prepositioning resources is something we learned a while ago and we’re doing as a standard of matter, but how do we take advantage of situations of DOD and USAID collaboration to make sure that we can have as great of an impact on the ground? So that’s just one example.

Thank you.

MR. YUN: Maybe if I can add to that comment, I think in Philippines we have what’s known as Visiting Forces Agreement, VFA. That made it a lot easier for the military, for example, to deploy assets. So for us, anything that can be done before the disasters – and we’ve had comments saying that they’re going to happen again. Yes, they’re going to happen again. So that kind of preparation is very important. And in that context, we’re looking at some, perhaps, multilateral agreement with ASEAN, for example. So these are all a work in progress that I hope will make some advance because of these disasters.

Yeah.

QUESTION: Can you just go into why the Visiting Forces Agreement helped? You said it made it easier to deploy.

MR. YUN: Yes. I mean, because for example, we’re going to have ships there, then we’re going to have sailors there, we’re going to have planes there, so all these landing permits, ability to – for military soldiers and sailors to work there for port permits and all those things. I mean, if you have Visiting Forces Agreement, they will already be in place. I think that’s why it’s important for the military to know that they can leave immediately and there’s no problem with landing permits, overflight issues, and so on.

QUESTION: I’m just wondering if, possibly, we could hear from Mr. Dwyer just for a perspective on the ground, on what he might have seen.

MR. DWYER: Yeah. I think this was – it was interesting; three storms, and that’s important. Initially, a lot of need for what we call non-food items. A lot of these homes and a lot of the population is poor, the disadvantaged. Floods had taken away most of what they own. We came in with a lot of blankets, cooking sets, hygiene kits, some of the basic stuff. That repeated itself actually three times.

I think the situation now is stabilizing. We’re involved with a lot more of what we call water and sanitation watch interventions, where – provisional latrines, access to clean water, a lot of hygiene promotion. It’s a good opportunity to pass a lot of messages around the community. We’ll be looking at early recovery activities as well.

So I’d characterize it now as stabilizing. And – but, again, we’ve still got about another month and a half of storm season out there, and we’ll keep an eye on it.

MR. TONER: Any more questions? Great. Thank you very much.