I hope this blog doesn’t sound too much like a commercial for U.S. development projects. I don’t want to be taking undue credit for the United States or come across as merely a cheering section. But I am encouraged at the positive changes taking place in Tawi-Tawi and at the results of the combined efforts of many people and many groups.

Tawi-Tawi is literally at the far end of the Philippines. It is a beautiful island, surrounded by turquoise waters. The island roads hug the shoreline and any drive there features stunning vistas of palm-lined beaches and small houses. Tawi-Tawi is home to a branch of Mindanao State University and features a superb program in Mari-culture. But Tawi-Tawi is also far from the Philippine centers of commerce and close to routes used by terrorists and smugglers.

I have been to Tawi-Tawi many times, and each time I see progress. This last trip – a week ago – I saw some significant steps forward. We inaugurated a new airport – a runway capable of landing commercial aircraft. The airport was a joint project with grant assistance from USAID and significant input from both the national and local governments of the Philippines. At the airport inaugural event were the members of Tawi-Tawi Chamber of Commerce who eagerly told of their work to convince commercial airlines to start service there and were energized at the new markets they would have in the rest of the Philippines. They weren’t looking for anyone to make efforts on their behalf. They were eager, ready and organized to sell themselves as a destination and to promote their products.

Later in the day, I met with former MNLF combatants who live on Tawi-Tawi. These former combatants received assistance from USAID a few years ago in becoming seaweed farmers under the “Arms to Farms” program. Now, they proudly told me, they have graduated to even higher value products – growing abalone in hatcheries and cultivating good markets for this product. They were forming cooperatives and engaging with the business community to market products.

It was uplifting to see the progress, and the excitement about the future was palpable. I can’t promise that the road ahead for Tawi-Tawi will be totally smooth. But I can see that there is a road ahead and that the future has been seized by the local citizens. Positive change is possible and is worth our investment.

Chalk it up to being a school teacher’s daughter, but I seem to keep returning to the theme of education. We all know that education is critical to not just the present but also the future of any country. But because education systems are run by Governments, we often wonder how to best contribute.

These past few days, I have seen great examples of how individuals, charity groups, and businesses can pitch in to help provide good education for Filipino youth.

One day I visited two schools in the Manila neighborhood of Tondo. U.S. Navy sailors off the visiting aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, were doing community work at the schools and I wanted to stop by to meet them and thank them for volunteering to spend their liberty hours helping others.

But the U.S. Sailors weren’t alone in volunteering. One of the schools is supported by the Ayala Foundation (the charity arm of a major Philippine Corporation) as well as by a volunteer group called the “Children’s Hour.” I watched as wonderful people read to the children, taught mathematics, and held art classes.

The other school is supported by the Philippine Christian Foundation and receives donations from around the world. Recently flooded by heavy rains, the U.S. Navy sailors cleaned up flood damage and did repair work. Other dedicated volunteers assisted the teachers with classes and in preparing and serving nutritious food for the children.

At the far end of the Philippines, on the island of Jolo, I visited a bookfair. The bookfair is sponsored by the USAID with assistance from “Save the Children” and “Synergia,” two global non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Over 250,000 books were given to 500 local teachers and school administrators who got to pick the books most suitable for their classes and students. The books were donated by another American NGO, the “Brother’s Brother Foundation.” This public-private partnership has already placed a million and a half books in schools in the southern Philippines.

My late father enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He didn’t make a career of the military, but his fascination with US Navy ships lasted a lifetime. Once while he and my mother were visiting me in my first diplomatic posting in Jamaica, we drove past a U.S. ship paying a port visit. “Pull over, Kristie!” my Dad shouted with enthusiasm. “Let’s see if they will let us tour the ship.” Much to my surprise, the slightly bemused ship’s Captain graciously invited the Kenney family aboard for a tour.

Dad passed that fascination on to me and the Philippines is a great diplomatic posting for me to see U.S. Navy ships. Nearly 100 Navy ships pay goodwill calls in Filipino ports each year. They take on fuel and food and do community service projects in the ports they visit.

This week, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier arrives for a port visit in Manila. The crew will spend their time here doing community service projects from painting schools, to reading to children, to planting trees. They will even join the Filipino Navy in a coastal cleanup.

Senior Filipino military officers, some Embassy staff and I got to fly out to the aircraft carrier while it was still far out at sea to watch flight operations from the carrier deck. Talk about exciting! We felt like we were in the movie “Top Gun.” We watched the crew perform perfectly correographed maneuvers to let jets take off and land within minutes. The young crew (average age is 20 and more than 22 percent of the crew is Filipino-American) executed their roles to perfection with great attention to safety at every step. We ended the day covered in sweat and jet exhaust but thrilled to have shared such a great naval adventure.

When I arrived as the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, I paid a courtesy call on former President Corazon Aquino. I had seen her speeches on TV, and watched from afar as she restored democracy and became president of the Philippines. I was intimidated and nervous to meet a person of such stature. Imagine my surprise to meet a gentle woman in a yellow dress who brushed aside my use of her formal title with a “please, call me Cory”. What started as courtesy call became a relaxed conversation as she described her family, her painting, and she reminisced with soft humor about moments in her Presidency. Like so many others, I was totally charmed.

Several months later, President Cory (I could never call her just “Cory” – it didn’t seem respectful) gave me a tour of the Aquino Center. As my personal tour guide, she told of Ninoy’s solitary confinement during martial law and their years of exile in Boston. She talked of his death and her subsequent involvement in politics. She brought history to life without a trace of ego, describing herself as an unlikely hero. We had lunch afterwards with her daughter at a nearby fast food restaurant. As we shared French fries, she glowed with pride about the achievements of her children and her grandchildren. Her warmth and charisma were irresistible.

On August 1, President Cory died after a battle with colon cancer. Filipinos and friends across the world grieved her loss. Manila is decked in a sea of yellow, her signature color. Our Embassy flag stands at half mast and our staff wear yellow ribbons in her memory. Across political and national lines, people of all races and faiths unite in remembering a woman whose life changed the face of the Philippines.