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Thanks for your Support! Southern PH Coastal Village Receive Food Packs

July 16, 2021

Thank you Donors and Members On July 11, 2021, the US-Philippines Society with assistance from Banglapines International and implementing partner organizations in Region IX distributed 150 food packs for the coastal families in Layag-Layag Village, Zamboanga. Each household received a bag of rice, Silver Swan seasoning sauce, sugar, noodles, ketchup, …

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September 25, 2020

September 25, 2020 Featured Contributor Chairman of the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development Founding Director of the US-Philippines Society His article appeared in the Philippine Star and is shared with the Society’s online readership, with the author’s permission. Although it took the President four years into his …

Weekly Issues: Peace Corps Volunteer Writes Memoir About Experience in the Philippines

September 21, 2020

Weekly Issues: Reflections on Famed WWII Correspondent Spencer Davis in the Philippines

July 7, 2020

Weekly Issues | A Guide to the Visiting Forces Agreement: Understanding the Past and Adapting to the Future

June 10, 2020

Weekly Issues | Reflections on June 12, 1898: Philippine Declaration of Independence amid a “Dangerous International Environment”

June 9, 2020

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3 days ago

MUSICAL AS A SEAGULL: The Music of Jose Garcia Villa’s PoetryLate this afternoon at Jenny Sicat Crabbe’s lovely home and together with the US-Philippines Society and the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC, USA, we celebrated Jose Garcia Villa and the music of his poetry. Villa, as some of you might recall from previous posts, was a distinguished Filipino American poet who lived in DC briefly in the 1940s working alongside fellow writer Bienvenido Santos at what is now the Old Chancery of the Philippine Embassy. Much less known is how some of Villa’s poems were set to music by major composers, including poems he published while he was living and working in DC.Soprano Eriko Tokura Murray and pianist Kumiko Izawa Chikata gave beautiful performances of “Monks and Raisins” (Op. 18, No.2) (Samuel Barber/Jose Garcia Villa) and “Moonlight’s Watermelon” (Richard Hundley/Jose Garcia Villa). Poet and NYU Professor Luis Francia joined us virtually from New York and told stories from his time as Villa’s student. He also read two of Villa’s poems. Here are a few things I shared with the people who joined today’s program._____This program is a couple of years in the making and I am excited that we are all here now. I am not a historian and certainly not a music historian, but I wanted to share a few things I have learned over the years, in case it helps provide context.Two of the songs that will be performed today are based on the poems of Villa set to music by American composers. To the best of my knowledge, these are two of at least 7 – maybe as many as 10 – poems that have been set to music by American, Spanish and Filipino composers. Possibly the first among them is by Philippine National Artist Antonio Molina, who composed “We Were Moonlight” in 1941. I said possibly because a lesser known American composer, Frederick Aldecott Slee, composed Monody also around this period, but it is not clear when. 1. Moonlight’s Watermelon. Of the two pieces we will hear today, “Moonlight’s Watermelon” is by Richard Hundley based on a poem in Villa’s “Volume Two” anthology. Hundley is, as I understand, a major figure in the art song tradition—poems or literary pieces set to music. Some of you know this much better than I do—when Hundley was in high school in the late 1940s he met and became friends with Mary Rodgers Fossit, a poet who became a major influence in his life and introduced him to literature. I am unable to verify it yet, but I would like to imagine that it was Fossit who introduced him to Villa’s poems, considering Villa’s prominence in the American literary scene during this postwar period. Hundley however appears to have composed this much later and was first performed in 1990 by Glenda Maurice and pianist Ruth Palmer. We are fortunate that we have Hundley’s own notes about this song. “I was immediately attracted to the poem...by the magic sound of the poet's words,” he wrote. “For me the poem recalls my childhood living with my grandmother in Kentucky when we ate watermelon, fresh from her garden, on summer evenings.”2. Monks and Raisins. The other piece we will hear today, “Monks and Raisins,” is based on a poem that appears in Villa’s 1942 anthology, and was composed by Samuel Barber in 1943. There are two stories about the origin of this piece. • One story says Louise Homer, an American opera singer, wrote to her nephew Samuel Barber and asked “if he had a good song for a talented high school singer.” In response Barber sent “Monks and Raisins”—which Barber’s biographer characterized as “whimsical” and “humorous.” Lucille Grace David performed it at a recital in the Robert E. Lee HS in Jacksonville, Florida (Heyman, 2019, Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music).• Here's another story: In his memoirs, American composer Ned Rorem said Barber wrote “Monks and Raisins,” for the “bizarre Frijsh”, referring to Danish soprano Povla Frijsh. “Who could deny her?” Rorem wrote. An early performance of "Monks and Raisins" is in fact by Frijsh accompanied by pianist Celius Dougherty in New York’s Town Hall in February 1944. Meanwhile, the earliest reference I could find to a public performance conducted by Samuel Barber himself is from May 1945, an arrangement for voice and orchestra. That was of course near the end of the Second World War and a newspaper article referred to Barber as “Corporal Samuel Barber” as he was serving in the US Army at that time. [At this point, I played a clip of Villa himself reading the poem and saying a few words about it, from a 1958 recording of a radio program in Buffalo, NY. “It’s a very light poem,” Villa said, “just visual and pictorial.”]Finally, on a more personal note, I wanted to say that I first read those two lines (that Prof. Francia recited) a long time ago, in freshman year in college: First, a poem must be magical,Then musical as a seagull.Those lines have stayed with me since then. And since a few years ago, when I learned that Villa’s poems were set to music, I have been looking forward to a day like today. A poem is magical in at least one more sense: Sometimes, even in the middle of an extraordinary period, it brings us together. And it is lovely to share this moment with colleagues, family, and friends, old and new.(Erwin R. Tiongson)_____Here is a performance of "Moonlight's Watermelon" on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2OcqGXxq-8Annex: Working list of Villa’s poems set to music (date composed in parentheses)“We Were Moonlight,” Antonio J. Molina, 1894-1980 (1941)“Monody,” Frederick Caldecott Slee, 1870-1954 (between 1934-1954)“Monks and Raisins,” Samuel Barber, 1910-1981 (February 21, 1943)“Moonlight’s Watermelon,” Richard Hundley, 1931-2018 (possibly 1990)“Five songs for voice and violoncello: on poems by Jose Garcia Villa,” Lionel Nowak, 1911-1995 (1954)“Three pieces for chorus,” Russell G. Harris, 1914- (London, 1959)“Three poems: mezzosoprano piano,” Delfín Colomé, 1946-2008 (Manila, 1997 and Tarragona, 1998)Edited 10/17/2021 10:01 AM for clarity. ... See MoreSee Less

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6 days ago

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana led the turn-over, acceptance, and blessing of five S-70i Black Hawks and four ScanEagle UAS at Clark Air Base, Pampanga, 13 October 2021. ... See MoreSee Less

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6 days ago

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City – General Jose Faustino Jr, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Admiral John Aquilino, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command led the 2021 Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, October 14.General Faustino and Admiral Aquilino’s meeting resulted in the successful completion of the MDB-SEB, ensuring continued, robust relations between the U.S. and Philippine militaries. The U.S. and Philippines agreed to over 300 activities for 2021, an increase over 2020.Adm. Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, concluded the Mutual Defense Board (MDB) and Security Engagement Board (SEB) alongside Gen. Faustino, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, providing a foundation for military engagements throughout the coming year and strengthening U.S-Philippines security cooperation. The MDB was established in 1958 and the SEB was established in 2006. The two boards together form the annual MDB-SEB, which coordinates a framework for defense and security cooperation between the U.S. and Philippine militaries.#USPHThrivingAt75 #FriendsPartnersAlliesRead more: www.pacom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/2809814/philippines-us-host-annual-mutual-defe... ... See MoreSee Less

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U.S. Embassy in the Philippines@USEmbassyPH·

19 Oct

The 429 U.S. firms registered with @PEZA_PH employ over 311,000 workers and have contributed $4.6 billion in exports to date. #goodbUSinessPH
https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/12/us-investments-in-ph-ecozones-at-p400-b/

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Samantha Power@PowerUSAID·

13 Oct

As the US and #Philippines celebrate 75 years of diplomatic partnership, over 7 million #COVID19 vaccine doses, donated by the US through #COVAX, arrived in the country this month. @USAID is proud to help get shots in arms and boost oxygen supplies across the Philippines.

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Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Heather Variava@USAmbPH·

14 Oct

We remain committed to our promise to help modernize @TeamAFP. We believe that this latest turnover will further strengthen our combined capabilities in working together towards a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.

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Armed Forces of the Philippines @TeamAFP·

14 Oct

Philippines, U.S. Host Annual Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagement Board

Read: https://www.afp.mil.ph/index.php/8-afp-news/1161-philippines-u-s-host-annual-mutual-defense-board-and-security-engagement-board

#AFPyoucanTRUST

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Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Heather Variava@USAmbPH·

14 Oct

It was an honor to welcome @INDOPACOM Commander Adm. John Aquilino to the Philippines. During his visit, Adm. Aquilino will meet with @TeamAFP and partners to discuss opportunities to further strengthen U.S.-Philippines security cooperation. #USPHThrivingAt75

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National Task Force Against COVID19@ntfcovid19ph·

3 Oct

LOOK: As the Philippines prepares for the vaccination of the general population including children, 1,813,500 Pfizer vaccine doses donated by the COVAX facility arrived in the country at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, October 3, 2021.

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US-Philippines Society Meets Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin in Washington

US-Philippines Society hosts Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana at CSIS

Recorded Forum | Looking South, Looking West: Manila Views Security Threats to the Philippines

Resolution 653: PH Senate Thanks U.S. Government For Bells Return

Recorded Webinar | Philippines May 2022 Elections: Issues and Outlook in the Year Ahead

Message from President John F. Maisto: 75th Anniversary of US-PH Diplomatic Ties

Your support enables us to carry out our mission

Sincerely,