US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Saturday stressed the continuing ties of his country with Negros Occidental through its sugar industry, while Mayor Evelio Leonardia briefed him on the potentials of Bacolod City as an investment haven.

Thomas, who paid courtesy calls on Negros Occidental officials led by Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. at the Capitol, and Bacolod officials led by Leonardia at the Government Center, in the morning was in town to attend the 3rd Bacolod Jazz Festival Saturday night.

He also had lunch Saturday with local artists at the Balay ni Tana Dicang in Talisay City.

However, sources said that while he was crossing the street from Calea to L’Fisher Hotel after meeting with peace corps volunteers Saturday afternoon, he sprained his ankle and had to be flown back to Manila.

Asked for confirmation, Leonardia admitted that he was in constant contact with the ambassador and his delegation, but said he felt he was not at liberty to comment on the incident.

“Ambassador Thomas was excited to experience the Bacolod Jazz Festival but regrettably wasn’t feeling well,” a message sent by his staff said.

It said other members of Thomas staff would attend the jazz festival and that the ambassador offers his congratulations to all those involved in the event and hopes to be back next year.

Thomas, on Saturday morning, said “We are here to support the Bacolod Jazz Festival, which is a great testament to American and Filipino music and culture".

MASSKARA

During his meeting with Leonardia, whom he called the “lucky charm” of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, Thomas promised to attend Bacolod’s MassKara Festival in October.

Leonardia and Silver MassKara Foundation president Eli Tajanlangit handed Thomas an official invitation to the 33rd MassKara Festival.

“We invited him and he said he will put it in his calendar so I believe it is a sure thing that he will be here for the MassKara Festival,” Leonardia said.

The mayor handed the ambassador the symbolic key to the city and the two also exchanged gifts.

Leonardia told the ambassador that Bacolod is an investment haven, citing the growth of information technology firms in the city, and that it had been named the Most Business-Friendly City by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He also informed Thomas that Bacolod had been cited as a growth center by the Asian Institute of Management and by the United States Agency for International Development.

ON SUGAR

During his meeting the governor, Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez and Board Members Melvin Ibañez, Miller Serondo and Salvador Escalante, Thomas was presented with a gift of Negros delicacies.

He called Negros Occidental the sugar capital of the Philippines, a place of great delicacies and the home of women’s softball champions.

“Clearly the United States is very much involved in Negros because of its sugar industry and how much sugar it exports to the United States,” he said.

WIKILEAKS

Thomas refused to comment on alleged reports made by his predecessors to Washington posted on Wikileaks that questioned the antiquated bank secrecy laws of the Philippines, and described them as “among the strictest in the world,” in the face of the global trend toward transparency.

"Clearly we can comment on anything on Wikileaks," Thomas said.

Asked if he shared the position of the previous US ambassadors to the Philippines, Thomas said "once something is on Wikileaks, I cannot comment on it."

On the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona who has opposed the disclosure of the content of his dollar accounts, Thomas said: "This is something totally internal to the Philippines, we take no position on that, it has nothing to do with the United States at all."

The criticisms made by two US envoys are contained in a series of cables from 2005 and 2008, and have been made public by the whistle-blower website, Wikileaks.

Former US ambassadors to Manila Francis Ricciardone and Kristie Kenney, in separate cable dispatches sent to Washington, said the banking secrecy laws in the country were “hampering” transparent governance and anticorruption mechanisms, and went against the global trend relaxing bank secrecy laws.”*CPG

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