The Manila Times

ZAMBOANGA CITY MAYOR, DOCTOR IN US COMMEMORATIVE BOOK

ZAMBOANGA City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar is among the 50 Filipino exchange alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) featured in the commemorative book Faces of Exchange launched recently by the US Embassy in the Philippines in celebration of the IVLP’s 80th year.

Climaco-Salazar thanked the US government for recognizing her efforts and being included in the book, and lauded Washington’s continued support for various programs and projects through the US Agency for International

Development and the US Embassy in Manila.

“Thank you so much for this [recognition], and we value so much [the] magnanimous support and assistance of the US government to Zamboanga and our people,” she told The Manila Times over the phone when asked for reaction for being included in the book.

Another Zamboangueño, veterinarian physician Anton Mari Lim, is also included in the list.

The IVLP is the US Department of State’s premier professional exchange program.

Through short-term visits to the US, current and emerging foreign leaders in various fields experience the US firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their counterparts. Throughout the program’s 80-year history, more than 225,000 people have participated in the IVLP.

The Faces of Exchange features the Filipino alumni who promote rights, nurture communities and redefine service. Each story narrates how the IVLP alumni, and their exchange experiences, help shape the Philippines by capitalizing on their knowledge and skills.

As described, they promote rights by ensuring justice, equality, freedom and representation, and are committed to improving quality of life. They devote their lives and work to help shape and nurture communities into inclusive, sensitive and empowered institutions. The alumni redefine service by expanding access, creating solutions and introducing innovations.

The US government exchanges in the Philippines started in 1948 with the launch of the Fulbright program. Today, approximately 300 Filipinos participate in US government exchanges annually.

There are currently more than 9,000 Filipinos and Americans who are alumni of US government-sponsored exchanges between the Philippines and the United States. These alumni include youth, mid-career professionals and senior officials who represent all sectors from both countries.

The connections forged between Filipinos and Americans through these exchange programs have helped build mutual understanding and strengthened bilateral relationship.

Another unique attribute of the US exchange alumni in the Philippines is the dynamism of the Filipino exchange alumni associations.

Through 30 alumni associations, alumni actively leverage their exchange experiences to develop programs and projects to address some of the Philippines’ most pressing needs.

In 2020, US exchange alumni associations generated 158 projects that engaged more than 3,800 people.

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2021-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

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The Manila Times