Watch How Pres. Noynoy Aquino ENTICE Foreign INVESTORS and DIGNITARIES
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ladies and gentlemen,
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the President of the United States
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the President of the Republic
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of the Philippines.
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Thank you very much.
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Chief Justice Maria Rodriguez-Sereno and the Justices of the Supreme Court,
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Secretary Alberto Luzario, Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Members of the Cabinet,
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Ambassador Joey Cusha, Ambassador Philip Goldberg, Ambassador Susan Rice,
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Ambassador Michael Frohman, Mr. Rob Neighbors, Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps,
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Distinguished Members of the U.S. Delegation, Honored Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Evening.
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Mr. President, on behalf of the Filipino people,
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I welcome you and your delegation to the Philippines.
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Though your stay here in our country may be short,
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I hope that it will allow you to see and experience for yourself
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how, indeed, it is more fun in the Philippines,
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and that, undoubtedly, the Philippines works.
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Mr. President, the historic friendship between our peoples
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has been punctuated by visits from your predecessors.
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Your visit, the eighth by a U.S. President, has been a long time coming,
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and it marks yet another important chapter in our relations.
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Your presence here today,
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reaffirms the strong bond between our nations.
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As a friend and partner of the Filipino people,
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you have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the growth and development of our nation.
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It is only fitting, therefore, that your efforts be recognized
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with the conferment of the Order of Sikatuna.
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Since 1953, the highest recognition of diplomatic merit of the Republic of the Philippines
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has been the Order of Sikatuna.
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It is conferred on those who have fostered and elevated the bilateral partnership
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of our country with other nations.
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Tonight, I have the distinct pleasure to confer the highest rank,
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that of Raha, or Grand Caller, on you, Mr. President,
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for your leadership and policies that assisted the Philippines
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in times of natural disaster,
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for helping uphold stability and peace by means of the rule of law in Southeast Asia,
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and for working with us to fundamentally raise the defense capacity of our country.
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The first of your predecessors to receive this distinction was
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Donable Bright D. Eisenhower in 1960.
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Then, as now, may this conferment symbolize our nation's esteem for the American people
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and may it serve as a reminder of the mutual desire to always be partners
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based on the highest principles of liberty, democracy, and progress.
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Mr. President, our discussions today highlighted the ongoing dialogue
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Thank you very much.
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Thank you very much.
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Finding ways to promote common understanding and to develop meaningful solutions to a great number of our era's dilemmas.
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Whether in strengthening our trade relations, security alliances, and people-to-people engagements,
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or encouraging more nations to commit to the open government partnership,
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an area where the Philippines continues to innovate,
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we continue to challenge ourselves to answer the pressing questions of these times.
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By what means can peace be sustained?
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Through what instruments can climate change and calamity be addressed?
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And to whose benefit will our mutual and collective undertakings be done?
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The answer, of course, lies in the maintenance and deepening of the alliance we share,
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whether in building a Southeast Asia that champions the rule of law,
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or in advancing the belief that the most certain way to prosperity
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is to actively seek a harmonious relationship with all nations.
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Mr. President, through this brief visit of yours,
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I am confident that we will be able to achieve the same goals
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that you have witnessed firsthand,
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how such values, our shared beliefs and principles,
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can transform a society as it has ours.
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On this note, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen,
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please rise as I propose a toast.
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To the good health, happiness, and success of our dear friend,
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to the continuing closeness and affection between Filipinos and Americans,
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and to the realization of our common vision of a more stable,
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more prosperous, and more inclusive international community.
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Well, thank you so much, Mangadang Gabi.
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President Aquino, distinguished guests,
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on behalf of my delegation and myself,
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I want to thank you for the magnificent welcome today,
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and thank you for your gracious hospitality.
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Thank you for your hospitality this evening.
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Mr. President, I am deeply honored to receive the Order of the Sekutuna.
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I accept it in the spirit in which it has been bestowed,
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with a commitment to continuing to deepen the bonds between our two great nations.
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To all the gentlemen here this evening,
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you look very good, but I think you'll agree that the women outshine you.
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In the vibrant colors of the Philippines,
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I've only been here one day,
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but the kindness that you've shown me
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and the extraordinary hospitality that's been extended to us
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leaves us with very warm feelings
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and reflects, I think, the legendary spirit of the Filipino people.
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I'm told that you have a word to describe this,
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the inner feeling, that core of a person's body,
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and that's the spirit of our nation.
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We see the spirit in a family that's given itself to this country.
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There's no greater nobility than offering one's life to the nation,
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and Mr. President, your father offered his life so that this nation might be free.
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Your mother and the citizens of this great nation,
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the citizens of this great nation who took to the streets,
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showed the world that true power lies within the people.
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And with the canonization of Pope John Paul II,
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we also honor the role that the Catholic Church played
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in supporting the Filipino people in their desire for freedom.
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Nor know you bear the scars of those who would have taken this nation backwards,
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and you carry on your family's noble tradition of service
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and your commitment to the dignity and prosperity of the Filipino people.
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We also see the spirit of this nation in all that you've overcome.
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Colonialism and occupation, invasion and dictatorship,
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yours is a fierce independence,
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won through sacrifice and renewed with each generation.
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And we saw that again this year,
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after Yolanda America grieved with you
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and stood with you,
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but we were also inspired by your resilience
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and your determination to care for those who had been affected.
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Tonight, our hearts actually grieve for some of our fellow Americans back home
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who've been devastated by very terrible storms and tornadoes,
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but we draw strength from your example.
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For even as we grieve,
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we know that we will recover and we will rebuild
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in these communities that have been affected
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because people will care after each other.
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You bring that same strength and solidarity to our alliance.
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So let me say tonight on behalf of the American people,
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we are honored and proud to call you an ally and a friend.
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Through our treaty alliance,
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the United States has an ironclad commitment to defend you,
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your security and your independence.
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we feel our spirit,
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in the friendship between our peoples
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that expresses itself in so many ways.
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There's our mutual obsession with basketball.
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There's our mutual admiration for Manny Pacquiao,
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even if sometimes he's fighting against Americans
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and it doesn't turn out the way we'd like.
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There's our shared pride
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in the millions of Filipino-Americans
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who contribute to this day.
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There's one in particular I'm grateful for,
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our executive chef at the White House.
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Chris was born in Manila.
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She still has family here.
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we in the White House enjoy the occasional limpia and adobo.
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So I want to propose a toast
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to our gracious hosts,
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President Aquino,
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to the alliance that keeps us strong and free,
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and to the friendship between our peoples.
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May it always endure across the ocean and in our hearts.
