U.S. Embassy Photo Release
August 7, 2007
Former Manila Resident Diana Negroponte, Wife of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State,
Visits Social Welfare Organizations in Metro Manila
During her visit to Manila last week, Diana V. Negroponte, wife of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and former Ambassador to the Philippines John D. Negroponte, spent three days touring community development and social welfare organizations in the Manila area.
She visited the Taguig branch of Tulay sa Pag-unlad Inc. (TSPI), Gawad Kalinga Baseco, the Friendship House, and a Habitat for Humanity at the Food Terminal Inc. Complex (FTI). Pictured above (left), Mrs. Negroponte chats with seamstresses employed by entrepreneur and TSPI client since 1996, Wilma Sahirani (far right). TSPI provides microfinance and capability building support in order to promote the development of small entrepreneurs. Mrs. Negroponte first met Ms. Sahirani while serving on the Board of Trustees of TSPI Development Corporation during her husband’s tour of duty in the Philippines as U.S. Ambassador from 1993 to 1996. In addition to Ms. Sahirani’s garment manufacturing workshop, Mrs. Negroponte visited a number of micro enterprises within Barangay Lower Bicutan, including sari-sari stores and a junk shop.
Mrs. Negroponte also inspected the Habitat for Humanity FTI, a mixed development of low-cost housing and commercial space sponsored by the City of Taguig. During her tour, Mrs. Negroponte met with a group of college volunteers from Washington State and joined in the building effort. Pictured above (right) with Site Engineer Edmund (far left), Mrs. Negroponte compresses trays of wet cement at the brick-making station. Mrs. Negroponte is a former member of Habitat for Humanity International’s board of directors, and remains active on the Leadership Council of the organization’s New York chapter.
Mrs. Negroponte was in Manila from July 31 to August 2 traveling with Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte, head of the U.S. delegation to the ASEAN ministerial meetings.
# # #
