AMBASSADOR RICCIARDONE: Thank you very much for that flattering introduction and for calling me an educator. I take that as a great compliment. My claim to be an educator is really rather a modest one – having been a grade school teacher many years ago for just a few years, but it does sustain my love for what you do.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of Cotabato, wonderful emcees, Mr. Secretary Florencio Abad, educators of Cotabato, leaders of the community here, thank you so much for your very warm welcome to me, and to my colleagues from the United States Embassy in Manila. We’re very pleased to be here. I’ve been in the Philippines three years and something now. I’ve been to Cotabato more times than I can count. I’ve been all around Mindanao, I’ve been to the islands that we saw on the map. I love this part of the country. I love this beautiful country, the Philippines, and Mindanao I think is that part of the country that – although it’s perhaps most famous for some of the problems and for the conflict) – to my mind, it’s the most inspirational, because I find people like you wherever I go at the community level. I find mayors, we find governors, we find people from the Department of Education, we find Parent Teacher Associations, we find people taking the lead and taking charge of their lives and who are focusing on their children, who are focusing on the future for their children rather than pursuing the conflicts of the past and perpetuating them.
That gives me immense hope. And when I see this hope, I like to spread it. I like to have other Americans understand that Mindanao welcomes people from outside, that Mindanao is looking to the future, is welcoming visitors, is welcoming investors, and that people here do have grounds to sustain confidence that there will be a better future than there has been over these past several decades. Cotabato is really at the center of things in many ways. It can be the gateway to the future. It can be the gateway to investment. Or it can be the gateway to people hiding out in the Liguasan marsh who are training bombers and murderers. It needn’t be the latter. It can cease being the latter. The mayor and I just had a very good telephone conversation. He once again welcomed me here, and we talked about how we can work together with him to make the name of Cotabato a much prouder and a better name than it has been in the recent past and have it stand for the beauty of the youth that you see here, and the hope of the youth that you see here.
I come very much in the American tradition that I’m proudest of in the Philippines. We’ve had a century of history together and that piece of the history that makes me the most proud of being the American ambassador, is our legacy in education. And that does come to me both as a former teacher of a few years of experience overseas as a Fulbrighter, one who has participated in international programs, also as a parent. I think there is no more noble or important human endeavor than what most of the people in this room are directly or indirectly involved with, one way or another.
I would also point out that I’ve been privileged in my career to serve in the Muslim world, in different corners of the Muslim world, not just the Arab countries, although certainly there -- but also Iran and Turkey, and now of course, the Philippines which is, in an important way, also is a Muslim country as the United States is a Muslim country. We have many, many Muslims in the United States, as you have here. Because I’ve studied religions, Christianity -- and I’ve studied Islam. I know that Islam does not mean terrorism. It does not mean oppression. It does not mean ignorance for women or illiteracy. On the contrary, I know all the sayings of the prophet where He said, ‘seek knowledge even if you must go to China to seek knowledge,’ and I’ve come here to Cotabato to help seek knowledge. I’ve visited your Rasheeda High School. I visited Upi this morning. I visited Datu Paglas in the past. I’ve gone to Davao. And as I said, I’ve been to Jolo, and Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi. We’ve visited schools when we have the CLIC program to link up the students of this fine country to the world, through the Internet.
These things are happening here. I see them happening. They give me hope for the future – you give me hope for the future. The United States of America will be proud to stand with you who are showing the leadership. We cannot lead. Your national authorities can lead to a certain extent, but the real leadership comes from the school level, the community level, the barangay level, the high school level, the parent-teacher associations. It comes from your sacrifices. Another source of strength in your wonderful country is the willingness of Filipinos to work together in partnerships. The ELSA alliance is just that. It brings together these wonderful organizations – Fely Rixhon (MC and Executive Director of Consuelo Foundation/Chair of the ELSA Steering Committee) has just read the people representing different companies - some of them competitors in business, but cooperators in promoting the interests of this country in education. I salute you all. This partnership is inspiring. The United States is glad to be part of it. I don’t know whether you know, or whether it’s in the briefing you’ll see here later – in this particular alliance, one of many in the EQUALLS project, in the ELSA alliance I believe the amount of money the United States has contributed is four and a half million dollars. Mike?
(USAID Philippines Director) MIKE YATES: 4.2 million dollars.
RICCIARDONE: 4.2 million dollars. But the partners, the other partners have contributed over five million? Right? Five and a half million? Five and a half million dollars. That’s a great example. We can use our funding to help stimulate more funding, and we get into a very virtuous cycle. And the people, the young people, particularly, are those who benefit. The United States is committed to doing more and more and more for communities like yours that seek knowledge as the prophet himself has instructed us to do, to support the good and reject the bad, as again, the Prophet himself has instructed all mankind to do. Cotabato is clearly doing that. Keep doing that, please. We will be with you, if you do, and we will be very proud to stand with you in the future. Thank you for the inspiration you’ve given me in my life here these past several years. Thanks for all you’ve shown me about the best part of the Philippines in Mindanao. With that, thanks once again for your gracious hospitality. Ansalamu Allaikum…(Arabic farewell phrase)
