Our New Americans take the oath: (Left to right) Mario Vinoya (Philippines), Peralta Rodriguez (Mexico), Renny Vitug (Philippines), and Jin Lin (China).

History was made this week in the U.S. Embassy Manila ballroom as the oath of American citizenship was given in the Philippines to four members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The U.S. servicemen were in the Philippines on temporary duty to participate in our annual joint military exercises and humanitarian activities.

The ceremony was held before a cheering crowd of U.S. Embassy staff. I had the honor of handing them their certificates. I told the new American citizens that even as they swore an oath of allegiance to the United States, they should not lose their love for the country of their birth. America is a nation of immigrants. Our country is strong because of our diversity and because of the rich mix of cultures that immigrants bring to us.

These four new citizens, from Mexico, China and the Philippines, bring fresh ideas and diverse cultures to the United States. America remains one nation made of people from many nations.

The Philippines is a center of biodiversity with amazing natural resources to preserve and to protect, and Earth Day celebrations are a perfect time to remind citizens of their role in protecting our planet. In Baguio last week, we participated in a forum organized by the Philippine Supreme Court to discuss ways to strengthen environmental justice. We also joined the Mayor of Baguio, NGO groups and Sun Power (a U.S. company) in signing an agreement to put environmentally friendly solar lighting in Baguio’s central Burnham Park. On Earth Day itself, we joined with Coca-Cola and the City of Santa Rosa in promoting watershed protection and youth involvement in the environment. Later in the day at the mega Earth Day celebration at the Mall of Asia in Manila, we joined with the young “Eco Defenders” in promoting environmental protection as an act for every citizen, every day, at every age. Truly we all belong to the “Green Generation” regardless of our age, nationality, profession or status in life.

Last week we opened an exhibit featuring photographs of World Heritage Sites taken by American landscape photographer, Tom Till. The exhibit features awe-inspiring photographs of World Heritage Sites throughout the world with notes by the photographer about each site and about the need to protect these global treasures of nature. Among the pictures, I recognized familiar places – Arizona’s Grand Canyon, Argentina’s glaciers, and Wyoming’s Yellowstone Park. We were all struck by the glorious picture of the Philippine’s Banaue Rice Terraces. The Rice Terraces are marvels of engineering constructed thousands of years ago that are still used today to grow rice. Last year we sponsored a conference to look at how best to preserve the rice terraces with funds from the Ambassador’s Cultural Preservation Fund. Hiking the rice terraces was, for me, a spectacular experience and one we hope to preserve for generations to come.

The exhibit is free to the public at the Mall of Asia in Manila until April 19 and at the SM Baguio Mall from April 21- May 3.

I am the daughter of a retired school teacher. My mother taught English – writing and literature – in public high schools in Michigan. So it isn’t surprising that I grew up surrounded by books. I first learned about the rest of the world through books and I still consider reading to be one of the great ways to learn as well as to relax.

Last week, we joined with the National Bookstore Foundation of the Philippines to deliver books into the hands of the schools and teachers who most need them. For each book we purchase through USAID, the National Bookstore Foundation will donate a dictionary or thesaurus. The result will give an additional 48,000 books to schools in Mindanao on top of the nearly 2 million new books USAID has distributed thanks to the generosity of US private sector donations. Our new partnership was signed at a ceremony at my favorite kind of store – a bookstore!

This week we joined the California Milk Advisory Board in hosting events to help the Philippines discover California cheese. Talented chefs from California and Manila laid out cheeses by type - soft, mild, rich and strong - for us to taste. No talent required from the rest of us. We just ate and enjoyed having a taste of California right here in Manila!

Long, hot, sunny days tell us summer has arrived in the Philippines

Armed with my sunblock, I got a jump start on the season with a long weekend at the lovely beach resort of Boracay. I joined a dive trip and, as the picture shows, enjoyed seeing the ocean’s treasures as well as the good briefing from the dive master on the importance of protecting the fragile marine environment.

On March 28, the U.S. Embassy in Manila will join millions of people around the world in celebrating Earth Hour. We will turn off the lights in our homes, as well as at our Embassy building, for one hour to conserve energy and promote good environmental practices around the world.

As you enjoy your summer, make sure you take time to recycle, reuse, and reduce to protect the natural wonders of summer for the next generation.

We are all shaped by many cultural influences. The cultural ethnic mix that makes up our families. The culture and traditions of our home towns. The cultures we have seen, experienced, enjoyed.

My family — the Kenneys — trace their roots to Ireland. Several generations ago the Kenneys landed in Boston as poor immigrants fleeing the Irish potato famine. As a result, my family always wears green on March 17 as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and our Irish-American background. Many others, whether of Irish descent or not, also wear green on that day simply to note the long cultural ties between Ireland and America. This year, First Lady Michelle Obama had the water in the fountains in front of the White House in Washington tinted green on March 17 to mark St. Patrick’s Day.

As part of our efforts to share American culture and celebrate Philippine culture, the US Embassy recently brought an American jazz group, the Duende Quartet, to the Philippines to share their “cool Latin jazz” — a mix of Latin, African and American influences. The group played free concerts in Manila and Cebu, as well as lively jam sessions with Filipino jazz artists. I loved their open air concert at Greenbelt 3 in Manila.

We will soon welcome to the Embassy a group of Filipino students from across Mindanao who will travel to the United States to share their culture and experiences with American students. And in early April, the Embassy will sponsor a UNESCO World Heritage Photo Exhibit at Mall of Asia in Manila and other places around the Philippines. The exhibit will feature pictures of, among other places, the world famous Banaue Rice Terraces.

Much of the work I do as Ambassador involves meetings, events and travel in Manila and around the Philippines. But I also have the great pleasure of welcoming people to the Embassy to visit and talk with me. The United States Embassy in Manila is a beautiful white building, surrounded with green foliage and flowers located on Manila Bay. The Embassy was built just before World War II started and was badly damaged during the war. It is now restored and is on the Philippine register of historic buildings. Those who visit or drive by our Embassy today will see a great deal of major construction activity. We are building a large new Annex next to the main Embassy building to consolidate Embassy services and provide a spacious new consular section so that we can provide the best possible services. Our location on Manila Bay gives us wonderful views of Corregidor (on a clear day) and amazing sunsets every evening.

This last week, I got to welcome several different groups of Philippine University students to the Embassy. A group of graduate students from Ateneo de Manila came to my sunny office to interview me for a magazine they are starting as a graduate project. Another group of students from the University of the Philippines, Padre Faura came to the Embassy Thomas Jefferson Library to interview me for a communications class project. And at the end of a quiet Friday, I hosted University student leaders from several universities (Ateneo, LaSalle, UST, UP) for merienda to hear their thoughts and share ideas. Not surprisingly, all the student groups were full of great ideas, offered interesting perspectives on all sorts of issues, and were great fun to talk with. And as the picture shows, everyone loved standing on the Embassy balcony, admiring the great view out over Manila Bay.

In the Philippines, the school year is drawing to a close and graduations are everywhere. Graduation is a special time to celebrate achievement at every level. I have been honored to speak at graduation ceremonies and always enjoy being part of the festivities as the graduates, their families and friends enjoy the special day. Last week I participated in honoring a very special group of graduates. These are out-of-school youth who had been trained in small machine repair, thanks to one of our USAID education programs. We all shared the pride of the graduates in learning a new skill and their enthusiasm at the new career ahead of them. Our active training program for out-of-school youth includes such valuable skills as auto mechanic, welder and small machine repair. We hope to reach 100,000 youth through the program and have been really fortunate to have great private sector partners (such as CalTex) to offer the students internships to enhance their studies.

Veteran U.S. journalist Tom Brokaw called them the “Greatest Generation.” Much has been written about the heroism of the fathers and grandfathers who fought in World War II. The involvement of soldiers and sailors from so many nations shaped a generation and forged bonds that endure today. That bond is especially close in the Philippines, and we celebrate that great partnership every year at events at the American Cemetery in Manila. Partly because of that great bond, the U.S. Embassy in Manila has the only overseas office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They disperse about $8 million a month to Filipino World War II veterans and their dependents in the Philippines, in addition to another $7 million a month to other veterans and dependents of World War II and other conflicts.

Last month, President Obama signed legislation that included new benefits for Filipino World War II veterans in recognition of their service. Since then, the U.S. Veterans Office in Manila has been working around the clock to get the word out about these new benefits to Filipino World War II veterans and to take their claims. We partnered with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office to use their facilities to take claims at 13 sites around the Philippines in addition to the U.S. Embassy and Camp Aguinaldo in Manila. We’ve visited veterans in hospitals, at their meetings and in their homes to explain the process for applying and to take claims. We have already received more than 19,000 claims from Filipino World War II veterans.

Those applying for this new benefit have until February 16, 2010 to apply. They need not come in person and the application process is free of charge. Those with questions can call our office, can write to us, or can come in person for help in filling out the application. Our goal is to reach anyone who might be eligible. Much more information about the new Filipino World War II Veterans benefit is available on our web site, http://manila.usembassy.gov.

I have a strong personal connection to World War II Veterans. My father-in-law was sent to Europe as a fresh West Point graduate and fought his way across the Normandy Peninsula and in such famous battles as the Battle of the Bulge. He left his new wife back home and returned after World War II ended to meet his baby daughter for the first time. He remained in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of General, until he retired to return home to his West Texas farm. This month he celebrates his 94th birthday! My Dad served on one of the ships in the Pacific that participated in testing the atom bomb off Bikini Atoll. Dad was never in combat but was proud of his time in the U.S. Navy, where he claims to have been the ship boxing champ (featherweight) and best coffee maker. My father died a few years ago but many of the Filipino World War II veterans here have stepped up to fill the role of Dad for me. They have become like family and I am proud to be an honorary member of the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.