Embassy of the United States in Manila invites bloggers

Photo from Jane Uymatiao. Me and Assistant Cultural Affairs, Joe Tordella with Jay de Jesus on far left and Juned Sonido at the center.

The government inviting bloggers is slowly catching on. The Singapore Tourism Board brought me to their Singapore Food Festival 2009 and also Singapore Food Festival 2010. Our own Philippines’ Department of Tourism invited a few bloggers to the Black Eyed Peas Concert and Meet Apl de Ap in Singapore. It was a matter of time that the embassies in the Philippines would invite bloggers to their reception or events.

The Embassy of the United States in Manila is not far behind. Jay de Jesus, the Emerging Media Specialist for Public Affairs of the US Embassy recommended a few bloggers to a reception hosted by Counselor for Public Affairs, Richard W. Nelson to welcome their new and current Cultural Affairs Attache, Alan R. Holst, and Assistant Cultural Affairs Attache, Joseph Tordella.

From left to right: current Cultural Affairs Attache, Alan R. Holst, Assistant Cultural Affairs Attache, Joseph Tordella and Counselor for Public Affairs, Richard W. Nelson

Of course, cultural affairs interest me as my family is in to the arts, literature and music. I used to accompany my pre-teen daughters to a cultural tour to the USA through the Manila Children’s Choir . This certainly interested them to travel back to the USA. The Cultural Affairs spearheads, sponsors and is involved in several projects ranging from the arts, theater, music, education, literature and similar fields. I bet you didn’t know that the US embassy have exchange programs available for professionals.

Alan Hoist and Joe Tordella both help out to strengthen cultural, professional, educational, and people-to-people ties between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines. Tordella , as Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Manila helps to manage exchange programs that bring Filipinos to the United States on professional and educational visits to share ideas with their peers and learn about America. He also helps coordinate the visits of American artists, musicians, academics, and other professionals coming to the Philippines to share their skills withPhilippine audiences across the country. Together with his colleagues, he also helps implement a varietyof programs promoting English language study, American studies, conflict mitigation, and leadership development.

I still can’t spot the cultural programs at their website . I was told to go the Embassy of the United States in Manila to check the programs or unless I am checking the wrong website.