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.