Last week the world lost a true genius in music and dance when Michael Jackson died at the age of 50. Michael Jackson’s artistic gift reached across the world, touching generations from old to young, across religions, across borders and into all levels of society. His 45 years as a performing artist included mega hits in every genre. His dance style inspired many imitators but none achieved his dazzling footwork.

I felt compelled to write this blog about Michael Jackson’s global impact as I watched the news media cover his death. I listened and remembered as his many hit songs were played over and over again. I joined friends across the Philippines in naming our favorite Michael Jackson songs. I watched Filipino performing stars join artists all over the world in citing Michael as their inspiration. And I never tired of watching replays of his groundbreaking “Thriller” video and seeing even prison inmates in the Filipino City of Cebu perform “Thriller” in tribute to his memory. For so many generations in many nations, Michael’s music and dance was a part of our lives.

Michael Jackson may have had a controversial personal life but the impact of his artistic gift is unquestioned. The pure genius of his music and dance will live forever. All of us at the U.S. Embassy in Manila send our deepest sympathy to the friends and family of Michael Jackson. The bright light of his talent has gone out, but the light of his performance will always burn bright.

In June 2008, Typhoon Frank slammed into Panay Island here in the Philippines. In keeping with the spirit of our friendship, the United States quickly offered disaster assistance. We donated relief supplies – blankets, water, rice, and tents through USAID. We also mobilized the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group to deliver relief supplies. The USS Reagan and its group of five other U.S. ships worked tirelessly for a week with their helicopters and ship crews to deliver relief supplies donated not only from the United States but from all other donors.

We sent an Embassy team to Iloilo to provide on-the-ground coordination with Filipino authorities. I visited our teams doing the relief assistance and was impressed not only with their dedication but also with the “can-do” spirit of the typhoon victims. Many who had lost so much still had a smile and were still ready to roll up their sleeves to help their neighbors. Several of the young U.S. military helicopter pilots told me that being part of such an important disaster relief operation was the most rewarding experience of their lives.

A year later, the USS Ronald Reagan remembered the victims of Typhoon Frank on June 21, 2009 in a simple wreath ceremony. Senior Philippine Officials and U.S. Embassy staff flew out to join USS Reagan Carrier Group Commander Rear Admiral Scott Hebner for this moving moment.

While the commemoration was underway on board the USS Reagan, other crew members from the ship visited the Panay town of Pavia to help continue to rebuild. Working with local townspeople and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, they laid concrete and painted walls to help bring the community back to its pre-typhoon state.

FilharmoniKA in action.

Music is truly a universal language. I was reminded of that yet again as I watched, listened, and enjoyed as talented American musicians joined the Philippine FILharmoniKA Orchestra for a magical evening. Playing American music, (Aaron Copeland, Leonard Bernstein, Norman Dello Joio) the guest American conductor Jeffery Meyer led a superb group of Filipino musicians who were joined by two visiting American soloists, clarinetist Marian Liebowitz and marimbist Dena Fernandez.

The audience ran the full gamut from young music students, families, distinguished musicians, Tony-award winners, businessmen, fashionistas and all loved the magic of music.

When it comes to music, we all speak the same language.

President Obama gave a direct, compelling and inspirational speech on June 4 in Cairo, Egypt reaching out directly to the Muslim world. He called for a new start based on mutual interest and mutual respect, “based upon the truth that America and Islam”…”share common principles of justice”…”tolerance and the dignity of all human beings”.

That same day we helped support talented Filipinos who are bridging religious differences to unite voices in peace. On a trip to Zamboanga city, I visited an amazing group of Filipino Muslim women, the Magbassa Kita Foundation, to formally congratulate them on being awarded a grant under the One Woman Initiative. The OWI is funded by an American private/public partnership. The Magbassa Kita Foundation was one of the first five world wide recipients of the OWI grant and the first in Southeast Asia. They will use this grant to train and empower woman Muslim leaders to be advocates for peace and development. That same day, I also got to see youth leaders from across Mindanao at a Youth CAMP (Cultures Across Mindanao Program) session funded by the Embassy to encourage understanding across cultures and religions. The amazing energy and team building spirit of these 100 young leaders after just two days together showed how much greater the points we have in common are from the differences that could divide us.