28 October 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. was the featured speaker of the Dallas-Fort Worth World Affairs Council on October 21. The Philippine delegation of the 4th Private-Led Investment Roadshow in the U.S. was also present during the event.
In his speech, the Ambassador discussed the current updated and positive developments about the Philippine economy, the Philippines’ Geopolitical Rose in Asia, the Philippines’ economic engagements - ASEAN, hosting of APEC and the country’s efforts to work on accession to the TPP. The Ambassador stated that the continued prosperity of Asia will largely depend on the peace and stability in the region.
Other areas of particular interest for the audience were about the upcoming Philippine elections, as well as transparency and fight against corruption in the Philippines. On the elections, the Ambassador quoted Dr. Bernardo Villegas, who informed the audience that he sees the continued growth of the Philippines even with the upcoming change of leadership in the country. On transparency and corruption, Dr. Villegas also referred to the book “Why Nations Fail,” citing that as long as institutions are already in place, like what has been done in the Philippines in the fight against corruption, it will be difficult for future leaders to do further acts of corruption. He stated examples like the stricter and more transparent Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN) for government officials, and civil society society groups that more actively utilize social media.
In closing, the Ambassador cited that the hope is for the continuation of the good governance platform of the Aquino administration, which has significantly boosted the Philippines’ positive image of reliability in the international community. END