The Peace Corps program in the Philippines is one of the oldest in the world. Since the program began here in the 1960s, more than 8,000 Volunteers have served in the Philippines fostering good relations and providing helping hands to communities. Today we have around 150 Peace Corps Volunteers serving in communities working in education (co-teaching English and IT skills), in environmental protection (building marine-protected areas and helping NGOs develop sustainable fishing projects) and in youth/family (working with children’s groups and with orphanages).

Peace Corps Volunteers typically spend their first several months in the Philippines in training — learning the local language, adapting to the culture and sharing practical ideas to use once they arrive at their sites. I visited some new Peace Corp trainees in Leyte province in late October, and we did this short video to let them show off their language skills.

Once they finish their training, the Peace Corps trainees take an oath of office as they are sworn in as fully functional Volunteers. During her recent visit to the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton personally administered the oath of office to the Volunteers and spoke to them about the importance of their work. She spoke of the great impact of their work on the lives of those around them and of the great personal journey of discovery and motivation that the Peace Corps Volunteers gain through their service.

“The American ideals that brought you to join the Peace Corps — including civic responsibility and empathy toward your fellow man — these are the ideals that will strengthen your work and bring success to your endeavors.

“To our Filipino counterparts, I would like to say thank you for opening your hearts and minds to these incredible opportunities for partnership, collaboration and friendship with our Volunteers.”

Once they arrive on site, the Volunteers work with community partners and supervisors and often live with or near host Filipino families. I call the Peace Corps Volunteers “Ambassadors” because they really act as Ambassadors for America in the communities where they live and work. The impact of their work touches and improves lives of those around them, whether through finding better ways for fisherman to sustain their fish stocks for years to come, or in coaching a youth soccer team in their off-hours. And every Volunteer has told me that the gifts they receive — of self-reliance, friendship, perseverance — far outweigh the service they give.

Secretary Clinton’s first day in Manila ended with a lovely and gracious dinner hosted by Philippine President Arroyo. The thirty guests ate local fish and fruit specialties while talking about world issues, cultural trends and sharing stories and laughs.

The next morning found her heading out super early for a live, televised “Townterview” with students from across the Philippines. Held at 400-year-old University of Santo Tomas, more than a thousand students from Manila universities packed the auditorium, all wearing school colors. Others participated via remote link from around the country and still others sent in questions via YouTube and text messages. Secretary Clinton was relaxed as she talked big global issues and Philippine issues. Her passion for the role of civil society in promoting peace, human rights and good governance was obvious. She also reflected with pride on serving her country and on being part of President Obama’s team. She laughed with the sports enthusiasts in the student crowd when describing her support for the not-so-victorious New York Knicks.

After shaking more hands and posing for more pictures, she took time to talk to a local radio DJ about the importance of voting and getting young voters engaged in elections.

The mood shifted more somber as she then headed to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. That cemetery, built and maintained by the American Battlefield Monument Commission, hold graves of more than 17,000 World War II dead while the walls list the names of thousands more missing-in-action from World War II. Secretary Clinton laid a wreath at the cemetery and took a few moments to talk with World War II veterans who had come to the cemetery to greet her.

She then headed back across town, through the world famous Manila traffic, to the historic U.S. Embassy located on Manila Bay. There she swore in 68 new Peace Corps volunteers, telling them of the great service they provide to both the Philippines and the United States. She told them of the great tradition of the Peace Corps in the Philippines where more than 8,000 volunteers have served since the program began in the Philippines decades ago. She thanked the Filipino partners of the Peace Corps as well as the Filipino “host” families of the Peace Corps who were also there.

She ended her Manila visit with a short session with U.S. military temporarily deployed in the Philippines, hearing of their experiences and thanking them for serving our nation. And then she greeted her thousands of U.S. Embassy Filipino and American fans for whom she is the ultimate superstar!

Under a brilliant blue sky, Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State landed in Manila. After a red carpet airport welcome, she headed straight to historic Goldenberg Mansion to meet with her counterpart, Alberto Romulo, the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Goldenberg Mansion was built nearly 100 years ago and was furnished by former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos with gorgeous antiques and paintings from all over the world – including some original art works by renowned American artist “Grandma Moses.” The Government of the Philippines now uses it as a meeting and event venue. In this lovely setting, Secretary Clinton and Secretary Romulo were joined by their delegations on the second floor for a wide-ranging and friendly discussion that included the upcoming meeting in Singapore between President Obama and the leaders of ASEAN, U.S.-Philippine counterterrorism cooperation, and the December climate change conference in Denmark. Secretary Clinton congratulated the Philippines on the safe release earlier in the day of kidnapped Irish priest, Father Sinnott.

After their meeting, Secretary Clinton and Secretary Romulo met with members of the press to share their meeting conversation and answer questions. Secretary Clinton started the press conference highlighting the exceptional partnership between the Philippines and the United States. She focused on the people-to-people nature of our friendship that has endured over decades. She told the crowd of her sympathy and compassion for those who had suffered in the wake of recent typhoons and storms. And said she was proud that Americans and Filipinos had worked together to bring immediate relief to suffering communities.

No lunch time for the busy Secretary of State as we jumped in cars and drove across town to Marikina, a city within Metro Manila that was heavily devastated by flood and typhoons in recent months. We stopped at Malanday High School, which served as an evacuation site for flood victims despite being flooded up the second floor itself. But today, desperation gave way to celebration, with balloons flying, flags waving and bands playing. Thousands of cheering students greeted Secretary Clinton from every floor of the three-story building circling the center courtyard, creating a rock concert-like vibe. Secretary Clinton toured classrooms, together with the Philippine Secretary of Education and the Vice Principal, and heard from the city Mayor of the devastation suffered by residents.

Secretary Clinton then opened a “Book Fair” where teachers from flood-affected schools selected from among tens of thousands of books those that would best compliment their education program. The books were donated by a partnership between a U.S. NGO, “Brother’s Brother” and USAID. Addressing the students and teachers, the Secretary praised them for their resiliency and their spirit of helping each other. She announced a new U.S. relief donation of $5.2 million to assist schools and health clinics as they recover from the flooding and typhoon damage.

Not surprisingly, Secretary Clinton was unable to resist the energy and excitement of the students. Despite the mid-afternoon heat in the open courtyard, she stayed to talk with students, book shop with teachers, and pose for thousands of photos. She clearly would have stayed for hours despite the heat if her Ambassador (me!) hadn’t pulled her away. But I knew we had other events and more people waiting to meet Hillary Clinton.

Embassy Manila is all abuzz with the announcement that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Manila November 12-13. As she said in Washington last week, she is coming to show her solidarity with the Philippines in the wake of the devastating storms and typhoons that have affected so many Filipinos in recent weeks.

The Embassy now has to put together a schedule for her visit. We sat down as an Embassy team to plan. And the ideas flowed. Of course, she needed to meet with Philippine Government officials. But our team knew she would also want to see Filipinos from all walks of life. Our ideas included getting her out to see Mindanao, the Visayas, Northern Luzon.

And then reality intervened. There are only twenty four hours in a day, and she would need to sleep and to eat. So getting out beyond Metro Manila just wouldn’t be possible. And, realistically, she won’t be able to see as many Filipinos as she would like to see. But we still think she will have some good opportunities to talk with community leaders about flood relief and, hopefully, meet Filipino students to hear what the next generation of leaders is thinking.

I’ll keep my blog readers posted on her visit and will try to update you while she’s in Manila. And in the meantime, send me your ideas and questions. What do you think the U.S. Secretary of State should do while she is in Manila? If you could talk to her personally, what would you want to ask her or tell her? Let me know.

Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., the closest I came to agriculture were the tomato plants my father cultivated in our backyard next to my mother’s flower beds. Or the family visits to local farmers’ markets on summer weekends to buy fresh corn and other vegetables. As a university student, a course on “International Agriculture” broadened my perspective. Marrying into a family of West Texas cotton farmers introduced me to the hardships faced by farmers. Uncertain weather, uncertain yields, uncertain prices – each season taught me more about why earning a living farming the land is hard work that often yields little or no profit.

Like in the United States, agriculture plays an important role in the Philippines. The crops are very different but the problems of weather, pests and market uncertainty are just the same. Last week, I got to join the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, as he visited the Philippines. He toured the International Rice Research Institute outside of Manila where we heard of phenomenal research taking place to produce better seeds and crops that can withstand typhoons as well as provide greater nutrition. We tried our hand at the hot, back-breaking work of rice planting while standing barefoot in a muddy rice paddy. We saw how rice is painstakingly harvested by hand.

Later we moved out of the fields to see a Philippine Flour Mill that produces high quality flour made from US wheat for use in local bakeries. We joined agricultural business leaders from the United States in meeting with their Philippine counterparts to see how they could further enhance the already robust trade in agricultural goods and products. Mindful of the devastating damage caused by recent typhoons to agriculture and food stocks in the Philippines, Secretary Vilsack concluded his visit with a donation of 8.5 million dollars worth of rice and dried milk to help feed those displaced by flooding.

Usually I seem to attend about one wedding a year – of family or friends. But this year has been a wedding bonanza. First was my brother’s wedding in Washington DC this past May. My brother’s lovely rooftop wedding overlooked the White House and the Washington Monument. Then I attended two weddings in Manila this past week. The first of the two was a very relaxed wedding of a Filipino colleague who got married in the garden of my house with a casual gathering of friends and family. The other one featured a Filipino Senator (and Vice Presidential candidate) who married a very well known Filipina TV journalist. That wedding was held in a church packed with more than 2,000 people and featured music by the Manila Philharmonic.

The three weddings I attended this year featured very different styles, but some common themes bind them together for me. All three were, as weddings tend to be, joyous events. No matter how large or small the crowd, a wedding is a celebration of love, togetherness and of hope. All three were moments that brought people together: My brother’s wedding reunited old school friends, introduced us to the bride’s Cuban-American heritage, and gave us the excuse to catch up with long time family friends; The relaxed Manila garden wedding combined Filipino families from different parts of the country with the bride and groom’s work friends from Manila; And the large and elegant wedding of the two prominent Filipinos had guests from across the political, business, and cultural spectrum of the Philippines.

The sentimental part of me always chokes up at weddings. I wish all three of the couples whose weddings I was proud to attend a lifetime of happiness.

Sixty-five years ago, U.S. and Filipino heroes waded ashore from ships anchored in Leyte Gulf. It was the beginning of the successful World War II campaign to retake the Philippines from the Japanese occupation.

I recently had the great honor to join ceremonies commemorating that event. We flew over mirror-calm Leyte Gulf, ringed by green hills, landing in Tacloban city. From there it was a short drive to the large memorial depicting General MacArthur wading ashore, accompanied by future Philippine President Osmena and Philippine General Carlos P. Romulo.

The ceremonies were simple: A solemn wreath laying under the sweltering sun was followed by short messages of solidarity and awards to some veterans. Philippine President Arroyo presided. She had been scheduled to speak but a torrential downpour convinced her to cut the speech rather than have all the attendees get soaked. The highlight for me was meeting a group of U.S. veterans and their families who had come to mark the event. Such warm, compassionate people who were clearly proud of the bonds between the United States and the Philippines. Two of them had been part of General MacArthur’s Leyte landing party and, despite their age, still carried themselves with great dignity. Diplomats from Japan, Australia and Canada also joined the ceremonies. My Japanese colleague and I reflected on how the world has changed in the past 65 years. Japan is no longer the enemy of the United States and the Philippines as it was back then but is now a strong ally in promoting peace, development and economic growth.

Not all of Leyte is rooted in the past. While there, I also got to see new U.S. Peace Corps trainees who were learning culture and language in preparation for their assignments in the Leyte region. I also visited a sparkling new facility for American company APAC, where talented Filipino staff provide back-room services for prominent American business and media services.

I love modern technology! Those of your who know me personally know I can’t bear to be disconnected from my friends, my family or the latest news. Whether it is flood relief updates, sport scores or events around town, I always want fast news and information.

My friends and family are scattered all over the world. My husband is the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia - 13 time zones away from Manila. I get news from the United States, Latin America, and Asia as fast as my friends and family can log in. And I get instant updates from my Filipino friends - their news, opinions and advice - from across this beautiful country.

At the U.S. Embassy in Manila, we use all sorts of modern technology to stay in touch, and we want more people to have virtual access to us and our activities. We have a new U.S. Embassy Manila Facebook page, along with our Embassy website, to share stories, news and photos with you.

And now, we are launching a U.S. Embassy Manila Twitter account. Starting Monday, October 19, we begin “Twitter Week.” We will not only launch our site, but will also add fast updates on what members of our Embassy team are doing. You can follow us at http:/twitter.com/usembassymanila.

Join us! Share the technology, the news and your opinions. And tell me what you think at the end of Twitter Week!

I have to start this blog entry by telling my mother, once again, that I am fine. Yes, Manila was flattened by major floods. Yes, typhoons followed the floods. Yes, many people suffered. Yes, the U.S. Embassy was flooded. But I am fine. And very lucky. Many others were not so fortunate.

Two weeks have passed since a tropical storm flooded Metro Manila. And while the stories of grief and destruction continue to mount, so do the stories of the millions of people, organizations and governments who have pitched in to help with relief and recovery. I’ve heard from so many about relief efforts. Some hoped the United States Government could do even more than we have done. Others wondered how they could help out. Others offered thanks for our help and that of so many others.

I last wrote about the immediate actions taken by the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The day the floods hit, we gave USD 100,000 to the Red Cross. That is the maximum an Ambassador can offer immediately – additional funds require more approval from the U.S. Government. We also used the few rubber boats that the U.S. military had in country to help rescue people in the early hours after the flood. By two days later, we had a much larger relief operation underway. The U.S. Marines diverted a long-planned exercise with their Filipino counterparts into a flood relief exercise. Working with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Marines used helicopters to deliver tons of food and relief supplies to areas isolated by the flood. Marine equipment, such as bulldozers and forklifts, joined their Filipino counterparts in clearing roads and debris. U.S. military trucks delivered food and relief supplies under the direction of the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development. Many of the supplies were those donated by private companies, including the largest two TV stations in Manila. U.S. military doctors and medics teamed up with Philippine military medical personnel to offer medical treatment in evacuation centers, treating more than 800 patients per day. The U.S. military also contributed several million dollars worth of medicines. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) donated $1.8 million dollars to relief organizations such as the Red Cross so that those in evacuation centers would receive food and supplies. USAID also flew in a planeload of non-food relief supplies, such as hygiene kits, plastic sheeting and plastic “jerry” cans for water. Those interested in learning more can read the details on our U.S. Embassy Manila website.

As flood waters recede, the U.S. military prepares to wind down their immediate relief operations and turn remaining activities over to civilian relief organizations and USAID turns their attention to ways we can support recovery efforts through technical assistance. But the stories of friendships formed in tough times continue to inspire. I watched U.S. military chaplains help a little girl in an evacuation center select clothes she liked from among those they were donating. They took her preference for color as seriously as if she were at a swanky store. I watched people waiting in line for food step aside in favor of the elderly among them. I saw students, business leaders, and sports figures sitting on the floor packaging relief goods for distribution. I saw Embassy colleagues whose homes had been totally flooded hard at work distributing relief supplies in evacuation centers. The Filipino spirit of giving was never more obvious or more welcome than during this difficult time.

Many wonder what they can still do to help those less fortunate get back on their feet after this devastation at the hands of Mother Nature. Those in Manila can still volunteer at their church, their school or their office to help. Those further away can help by contributing generously to relief organizations. Those funds help buy relief supplies for this flood and provide stock for relief supplies for future natural disasters.

Saturday, September 26 started as a rainy day, which is pretty normal for this time of year in the Philippines. But by midday, it was clear that this was far from a normal rainstorm. This was a brewing flood of historical proportions. Before the end of the day, much of the city of Manila would be seriously flooded with lives lost and extensive property damage. No one was spared. Mother Nature’s fury touched us all alike – old and young, rich and poor, tall and short. The phone calls, texts and e-mails I received were heartbreaking. Everyone I knew suffered in some way. News reports showed the widespread devastation across all areas of Manila with millions of people affected.

U.S. Embassy buildings suffered extensive flood damage. Our scenic location on Manila Bay posed real problems as the torrential rainfall matched up with high tide. Our Embassy crews were tireless in pumping water, cleaning up and testing systems. Despite the massive flooding, we were forced to close to the public for only one day. A heroic effort by our teams to be able to re-open our services to the public so very quickly. Many of our Embassy staff, American and Filipino, helped out with the clean-up efforts despite having lost their homes in the floods.

We also wanted to be able to help out the Philippines with rescue and relief efforts. After talking to senior Filipino officials, we organized a rescue mission by bringing a U.S. helicopter and U.S. military zodiac boats from their temporary deployment in the Southern Philippines to Manila to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The U.S. Navy had the boats in the water within an hour of landing and set out to help rescue people and drop off relief supplies to those who chose to stay at their homes. Working through the night, they rescued dozens of people, including a pregnant woman who they safely delivered to the hospital three hours before she gave birth. We also immediately released USD 100,000 from USAID funds for relief supplies to the Philippine National Red Cross so that they could begin providing relief supplies, such as mosquito nets and hygiene kits, to those in evacuation centers.

We were far from alone in wanting to help out. Across the Philippines, ordinary citizens ignored their own losses to donate and deliver relief supplies. Americans were also generous, reaching out across the miles to give to relief groups. We are now busy organizing for the next phase of relief and recovery efforts. Together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we will turn a long-planned exercise between the U.S. and Filipino Marines into a recovery effort. The U.S. Marines are working on a plan to bring in equipment, such as trucks and bulldozers, that can help clear debris. We will also bring in U.S. military medical teams to work with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to provide free medical services and supplies to families in evacuation centers. We will continue to look for ways to offer assistance to our Filipino friends as they rebuild and recover from this tragedy.