Thursday, January 31, 2008 USAid mission director: 'We are all connected' By Edmund B. Sestoso
UNITED States Agency for International Development (USAid) Mission Director Jon Lindborg spoke about "legacy", "partnership", and the "future" as he discussed the friendship between USAid and Silliman University.
Lindborg, who represented USAid in its induction into the Order of Horace Brinsmade Silliman, recently considered the determination of Dr. Horace B. Silliman to put up a school in a country where he had no connections "an amazing legacy."
This legacy, he said, is one of many others that cultivate the connection between the Philippines and US.
He said that in over the hundred years of Silliman's existence, the Philippines and US share a special relationship as can be manifested, among others, by the presence of Americans in the Philippines and Filipinos in the US.
The Philippines, he said, may well be the country in the world with which the US "shares a more special relationship."
"There had been many good times between our two countries. There had been tough times as we fought wars together. There had been difficult times in terms of our relationship. But through it all, even if we have had disagreements, we have always remained friends," Mr. Lindborg said.
This friendship, he added, breeds the legacy "that pulls us together and makes our countries better places to live in." He mentioned how this legacy has benefited the US and the Philippines in terms of growth and development.
Lindborg also talked about partnership. He said he was struck by "the partnerships that have made this university a great place." Apart from foreign donors, he cited Silliman's partnerships with its alumni, the private sector, and other organizations in the country and abroad.
The mission director also recognized the efforts of Silliman University Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management Director Angel Alcala, former Silliman president and secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). He said Alcala helped establish a partnership with USAid on programs that address the "blue issues."
He relayed how Dr. Alcala, in his conversation with the USAid Mission Director in the 90s, directed USAid's attention to the "blue issues" or those affecting the marine resources at that time when USAid's efforts were more at addressing the brown issues (pollution) and the green issues (forests and lands).
"It was because of your (Dr. Alcala's) partnership with USAid that we have this great legacy in terms of what we do with our coastal resource management programs. And we are proud of them and are very impressed with the great work carried out by Silliman," Lindborg said.
Silliman, with the assistance of the USAid and because of its continuing programs and research undertakings aimed at protecting the marine environment, is a Center of Excellence in Coastal Resource Management. The Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences, headed by Director Dr. Hilconida Calumpong, is housed at the Marine Laboratory, a research facility donated by USAid.
Moving into the future, he told the audience composed mostly of students that each has a role in the future "to make not only the Philippines but also the world a better place."
"We are all connected," he said, discussing how the Philippines and US are both Pacific nations.
Lindborg explained: "We are at the east side of the Pacific; you are the west side of the Pacific. But from outer space when you look at the photo of the earth, you see mostly blue...and that blue (ocean) that separates us actually links us."
Toward the end of his speech, he stressed that he was receiving the recognition not only on behalf of USAid but also of the American people.
Lindborg was with Daniel Moore, Chief of the USAid Office of Energy and Environment, and Rene Acosta, Development Assistance Specialist of the same office.
The Order of Horace B. Silliman is a prestigious recognition conferred upon individuals, families, and organizations whose gifts and donations with a value of at least P1 million continue to help realize the University's mission of providing better opportunities to its students and the members of both Silliman and the larger community of Dumaguete.
