Remarks delivered by U.S. Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone at the AMORE Summit, The Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel, Manila, March 10, 2005

 

AMORE friends, Honorable Secretary Perez, Barangay leaders of Mindanao, Vice-Governor of Basilan, maganda umaga sa inyong lahat. As salamu aleikum. Good morning and thank you so much for joining us on this special occasion.

Two years ago, I was in Tawi-Tawi, together with Secretary Perez, Governor Hussin, and Mirant Philippines CEO Ed Bautista, for the ceremonial switch-on of electricity for the first ten barangays of the AMORE project.

Today, we have gathered again, and with local community leaders and new AMORE partners, to celebrate our achievements: 30,000 individuals in 200 barangays benefiting from renewable energy; more private sector partners providing renewable energy systems components, such as solar panels; and new and vigorous community leaders, including former MNLF fighters, women and youth.

Perhaps the most gratifying success of AMORE has been the talent and energy and leadership it has unleashed and empowered in the barangays AMORE has served. For these local communities are demonstrating just some of what is good and right and successful about the Philippines, and what we so value in our development partnership – but what is so rarely appreciated. For a sampling of the wonderful AMORE success stories of real people in real communities throughout Muslim Mindanao, I urge everyone here to read the beautiful posters in the lobby outside our conference room. These feature many of the local leaders present here today.

For example, while people focus on the hotspot of today in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Jolo, in the Sulu archipelago, let me mention that AMORE is working there. It has accomplished so much already to change lives and provide livelihood to the people of Sulu. As of January, as of just two months ago, we had provided power to 510 homes through AMORE – 510 households in 17 barangays – remote, conflict-affected barangays of Sulu. And we already have more in Sulu on the drawing boards and ready to launch, still in keeping with our current project in AMORE. …Once we have commitments there from those peaceful communities – those communities that are led by people like you, enlightened people – “Munawwarin,” they say in Arabic, if you know that word – “enlightened ones.” We’ve already done 34 street lights. We’ve already done 17 community centers and we’ve got more barangays to go, I think 17 more barangays just under AMORE One.

So these projects profoundly change the individual lives of real people, people whose stories you see outside, people in this room, and of whole communities. I’ve visited several such communities and several such projects. I visited Barangay Pangapuyan off of the coast of Zamboanga last year. I met a man named Bashri Sali, a local community leader. He told me that for a fisherman like him, the AMORE lights serve as a kind of lighthouse at night, so that the fishermen, when they’re out in their boats, can see their way back to their village more clearly than they ever could before. He also said that the AMORE lights enable their children to study longer at night, much as we heard young Sharifa telling us just now. And it lets people work at night within their homes, so that women can be safe and feel productive, and the families can all be together and do things together even after dark.

I’m pleased to announce that the United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development, has extended the AMORE project for another five years. It’s part of our commitment to help the people in another way, another instrument for peace. We have a 10.4 million dollar budget for this and we expect that many more people in Mindanao will be able to improve their lives through this project. And together with the Philippines Department of Energy, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, our private partners like Mirant and the many others that you saw listed on the screen – Globe, Smart, Sun Power, so many others coming in – Davao Light – I hope that this light that people are turning on all over Mindanao will spread and illuminate all of Mindanao and illuminate the whole country. People will get hope, and see that they have turned a corner, and that peace can break out just as surely as war and kidnapping and bombing and terrorism can break out. Why not? Why can’t virtuous cycles be any less likely than vicious cycles?

So I congratulate the Department of Energy under the able leadership of Secretary Perez. I congratulate the ARMM, for providing the political will, the direction, the oversight necessary to ensure that the AMORE project supports the Philippines Government’s rural development and electrification plans in Mindanao. I congratulate and salute Mirant Philippines, our dedicated private sector partner, our founding partner in this AMORE venture. Mirant Philippines has demonstrated outstanding corporate social responsibility by providing the renewable energy equipment that you’ve seen in the photos outside and in the video here. I’d like to commend Winrock International, our cooperating partner for the AMORE project, for their valuable efforts and dedication in community development and organization whose results you’ve seen.

But most of all, I think, the people we couldn’t have done this without, are all of you who are visiting from BRECDA -- The Barangay Renewable Energy and Community Development Association -- from the communities that are making this work. This is not something that can be imposed from outside. We can’t just fly over Mindanao and sprinkle goodies from the air. It has to come from within. There has to be that spirit, that energy, that vision -- that you can keep out those who would wreak violence on you. You can keep out the people who pervert one of the great Faiths of mankind, and who claim that the Faith somehow issues fatwahs to kidnap or bomb. You know that is not correct – not in your communities. You know the true meaning of the Faith.

And when I say leadership, I mean it. The task of a leader is to inspire, and you inspire us. You inspire foreigners. You inspire the United States of America. You’ve shown to American diplomats in this country that people can take charge of their lives and can change the future, and give the future to Sharifa. And not let people take it away from her, through violence, and perversion of all that is good and holy.

So congratulations to all of you for your faith, your courage, your commitment, your leadership, your vision. Please know that the United States will stand by you and will stand by your government and stand by your community leaders as we do this.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity because we are marking a moment of transition. It’s a moment of transition in the AMORE project. We are closing out AMORE One and we’re about to launch AMORE Phase Two, with over 10 million dollars in budget as I’ve just mentioned. It’s also a moment of transition in your own government in the Department of Energy, as we see Secretary Perez closing out a very, very distinguished and intensive career in government. He has shown the kind of inspiration and leadership that really motivates not only Filipinos, but also foreigners like me, like my country, to believe in you, to believe in your country, to have confidence that you don’t have to be stuck where you have been stuck in the past.
The Secretary has, if you’ll permit me to say Mr. Secretary, made profound personal sacrifices to do his public service. We salute you, Vince, for all you’ve done. You’ve been absolutely instrumental in carrying this country forward. I know your energies will be missed, but that you will, nonetheless, find that strong people will come in behind you -- because there is a ready supply of excellent talent in your country and in your government. I know you will be making new kinds of contributions to your country as you go back to the private sector. It’s been a privilege for Marie and me to know you and Leigh, and we congratulate you and wish you well in the future.

With that, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Assalamu Allaikum, wa rahmat Ullahi wa ta’ala wa barakatuh!

 

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