Philippines 2016: Confronting the Drug Problem

Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Brownfield served as U.S. Ambassador to Colombia from 2007 to 2010. Prior to that, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela (2004-07) and U.S. Ambassador to Chile (2002-04). He has also served overseas in Venezuela, El Salvador, Argentina, Switzerland, and Panama as temporary Political Adviser to the U.S. Southern Command.

In Washington his jobs have included Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, Director for Policy and Coordination in INL, Executive Assistant to the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Member of the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff, and Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs.

Ambassador Brownfield holds the personal rank of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service. He has received the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award and the Presidential Performance Award three times. Ambassador Brownfield is a graduate of Cornell University (1974) and the National War College (1993). He attended the University of Texas School of Law (1976-78). He speaks Spanish and French. He is a native of the State of Texas. 

Her extensive career in the Department of Health has led her to numerous notable designations, such the founding program manager of the “Sentrong Sigla” movement, the quality assurance program of the DOH, and the founding manager of the Women’s Health and Development program in the DOH. With her expertise in Women’s Health, she was also named as the DOH Gender and Development focal person.

He has been Ambassador to Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, the United Nations, and Iraq. In Washington he served twice on the National Security Council staff, first as Director for Vietnam in the Nixon Administration and then as Deputy National Security Advisor under President Reagan. He has also held a cabinet level position as the first Director of National Intelligence under President George W. Bush. His most recent position in government was as Deputy Secretary of State, where he served as the State Department’s Chief Operating Officer.

While in the private sector from 1997 to 2001, Ambassador Negroponte was Executive Vice President of the McGraw-Hill Companies, with responsibility for overseeing the company’s international activities. During those years he was also Chairman of the French-American Foundation. Ambassador Negroponte serves as Chairman of the Council of the Americas/Americas Society. He is also Cochairman of the US-Philippines Society and a member of the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Since 2013, he has been Chairman of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.

Ambassador Negroponte has received numerous awards in recognition of his more than four decades of public service, including the State Department’s Distinguished Service Medal on two separate occasions, the highest award which can be conferred by the Secretary of State, and on January 16, 2009, President Bush awarded Ambassador Negroponte the National Security Medal for his outstanding contributions to US national security.

Mr. Chuasoto was Alternate Representative to the United Nations Security Council during the Philippines’ membership in 2004-2005. In 2008, he was elected as Chairman of the Committee on Conferences. He is the first and only Filipino diplomat to hold the post. Mr. Chuasoto was elected Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budget) for the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (2008-2009). He is only the fourth Filipino diplomat to have the distinction of being elected to serve in this powerful committee.

Mr. Chuasoto was conferred the Gawad Mabini Award with the Rank of Commander during the 115th DFA Foundation Day celebration on 31 July 2013.

He graduated cum laude from the Ateneo De Manila University with a Bachelor of Science degree Major in Management, Honors Program. He has a Diploma in Trade and Commercial Diplomacy from the Foreign Service Institute and masteral units in International Studies from the University of the Philippines. Mr. Chuasoto also completed the Strategic Management and Leadership Program for Career Ministers conducted by Asian Institute of Management.

His anti-drug advocacy started when as a Rural Health Physician in Angeles City, Pampanga, he organized various medical missions including those where he lectured on the evils of drug abuse in the different schools and barangays in Region III. As Center Director of the oldest drug rehabilitation center in Central Luzon, he managed rehabilitation of more than 700 drug dependents and served more than 3,000 drug abusers including mentally ill chemical abusers for the period 1995 – 1998. He also was Medical Consultant of the Central Luzon Regional Drug Rehabilitation Center in Pampanga, one of the country’s biggest rehabilitation center with a capacity of 1,500.

He was appointed by the Office of the President, as Permanent Board Member of the Dangerous Drugs Board, the highest policy-making and strategy-formulating body in the country in the planning and formulation of policies and programs on drug prevention and control.

He trained in drug abuse research at Johns Hopkins University as a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in 1998-1999 and was a visiting scientist for a year at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA in 2009 to 2010 as a recipient of the International Visiting Scientists and Technical Exchange Program Clinical Trials Network (NIDA-INVEST- CTN) Research Fellowship Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, USA.

Prof. Estacio has provided technical advise and training services to various UN agencies such as the UNODC, ILO, UNICEF, UNESCAP as an international research and training consultant in social development and community-based drug demand reduction. Apart from being awarded as an outstanding teacher by his college, he has also been a recipient of the chancellor’s award for exemplary extension work (at the local and international levels).

His current research interests include studies on drug abuse and behavioral health among young populations, social health insurance benefit packages, community-managed health programs, delivery of health services to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, violence against children, sexual exploitation of children online, among others.

Prof. Estacio is a strong advocate of community-managed drug prevention, treatment and control. In 2000, he and his colleagues established a non-government organization, the Addictus-Philippines Inc. now renamed Addictus Research and Intervention Center Inc., to assist the Philippine government in drug demand reduction work by working with families and communities and local and international partners in reducing drug use among young people in urban communities in the Philippines. Currently, he leads a group of behavioral scientists and seasoned community volunteer workers in the Philippines in developing and testing community-based treatment interventions in 2 selected communities in Metro-Manila as a response to the current surge of voluntary surrender of thousands of drug users and street pushers across the country.

Since joining VCU, his research interests have focused primarily on the prevention of youth tobacco use and methods for improving the quality of substance abuse services, both within the US and in other countries, especially program performance and outcome measurement. Among his current responsibilities, he is a co-investigator for the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, an FDA-funded tobacco center of regulatory science; he is a Co-PI for the Virginia Youth Tobacco Projects, a statewide, multi-university research program on the causes and prevention of youth tobacco use; and he is the director of the VCU Humphrey Fellowship Program on Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Policy that brings mid-career professionals from low and middle-income countries to VCU for advanced leadership and technical training.

He is currently President of the US-Philippines Society and a Director of the Miami-based U.S. Education Finance Group and of the Washington-based International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). He is a Director of ECI, a Central America-based resort and retirement company. He is also a Consultant on Global Affairs at Arizona State University, and member of the Board of Advisors of the American Committees on Foreign Relations (ACFR) in Washington. He writes and speaks on U.S. foreign policy; trade, investment and growth; democratic transitions; regional issues; security and defense matters; and international education.

A graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, he has a Master’s Degree in Latin American History from San Carlos University, Guatemala.  He is married to Maria Consuelo Gaston of Manapla, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. 

Professor Wise held various positions in the US intelligence community; retired US Air Force colonel; adviser to the Hart-Rudman Commission on National Security in the 21st Century, the National Commission on Terrorism and the Deutch Commission on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; president of The Sorrento Group, a defense and foreign affairs consulting firm; MA, American studies, University of Hawaii.

During his postings to Asia, Hendrickson spent two tours in the Philippines, as a political officer (1979-83) and Counselor for Political Affairs (1995-97). Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he was a commissioned officer in the Navy.

Hank graduated from Bucknell (BA) and holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University (MSFS). He is married to Ambassador (ret) Anne Derse; they have four adult children.