Diplomat Jim Patterson with His Excellency Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., San Francisco, 2014.
His Excellency Jose L.. Cuisia, Jr. has been the Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States since April 2011. With over 32 years of experience in financial services and 10 years in public service. Ambassador Cuisia is a well respected figure in both the public and private sectors in the Philippines.
Ambassador Cuisia's first 24 months in Washington, DC have been dedicated to promoting trade and investment opportunities in the Philippines; strengthening the military and security alliance with the United States; and providing assistance to Philippine nationals while further cementing the already robust relationship between the two countries. Together with his wife, Maria Victoria Jose, Ambassador Cuisia has actively been promoting Philippine culture, especially among the younger Filipino American community.
Ambassador Cuisia has over 10 years of experience in public service, having served Filipinos as the governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines and Chairman of its monetary Board as well as president & CEO of the Philippine Social Security System in the 1980's and 1990's. At the Central Bank, Ambassador Cuisia oversaw the liberalization of foreign exchange controls, resulting in, among others, the entry of more substantial foreign direct investment that strengthened the Philippine Peso and the country's foreign exchange reserves. The Ambassador also led the efforts in establishing what is now the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, allowing it to become a more effective guardian of monetary policy and ensuing the stability of the banking system.
Ambassador Cuisia is also a well-respected figure in Philippine business, with over 32 years in financial services most recently as the president and CEO of the largest and most profitable non-bank financial institution on the Philippines. He serves on the boards of many of the Philippines' most important private and listed companies, and has shared his expertise as a trustee on various academic institutions and non-government organizations espousing good governance and corporate social responsibility, including the Asian Institute of management.
According Cuisia, the John F. Kennedy Center benefit for the Philippines raised about $300,000 for typhoon relief.
Further reading:
"The Mission for Manila: A Conversation with Benigno Aquino III," foreign Affairs, Nov/Dec 2014
In the last four years, Benigno Aqyuino III - generally known by his nickname NoyNoy - has turned the Philippines from one of Asia's underperformers into one of its economic stars ... In late September, Aquino met with Foreign Affairs managing editor Jonathan Tepperman in New York to discuss the challenges he and his country face.
"David vs Goliath in the South China Sea: The Philippines vs China," The National Interest, October 23, 2014.
" ... it is far from certain whether the Philippines can expert an expeditious, conclusive adjudication, which could tangibly support its claims in the South China Sea. Even if the Philippines manages to secure a favorable legal outcome, China can simply ignore it.":
More good news for the Philippines Mangoes Approved for Export to US
PRESS RELEASE Embassy of the Philippines
WDC-075-2014
15 October 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The United States is opening its door to more fresh sweet mangoes from the Philippines with its recent decision to allow importation of mangoes from basically any area in the archipelago.
In a statement, the Philippine Embassy said there is now greater opportunity for mango exports after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently declared that the whole Philippines, with the exception of the island-province of Palawan, is now free from pests, particularly pulp and seed weevil.
Agriculture Attache Josyline Javelosa said this market opening presents an opportunity for mango-producing provinces like Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Isabela, Batangas and Tarlac in Luzon; Cebu and Iloilo in the Visayas; and Zamboanga del Norte, North Cotabato and Davao del Sur in Mindanao, to name a few.
Javelosa said that Palawan, which was declared by USDA to be free from seed weevil, could still export its mango produce to the US mainland but only after having this go through irradiation treatment.
Before this ruling, only mangoes grown in Guimaras, an island in the Visayas that has been recognized as weevil-free, can be exported to the US mainland. Mangoes grown from other parts of the Philippines suspected to have weevils, except Palawan, can be exported only to Guam and Hawaii.
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. welcomed the USDA announcement, saying the ruling can help pave the way for more mango exports from the Philippines.
“The decision to expand the list of allowable mango-producing areas to export to the US to almost the entire Philippines can be expected to result in more investments in the sector and at the same time encourage new entrants to allow domestic production to fully satisfy demand,” Ambassador Cuisia said.
He said the USDA ruling should also attract other countries in looking into the Philippines as a source of mango supply following the USDA declaration that the country is largely weevil-free as a result of an extensive survey conducted in 79 provinces in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
"Other countries could also refer to this USDA recognition of the Philippines as weevil-free as a basis for adjusting their phytosanitary and importation requirements for our mangoes,” Ambassador Cuisia added.
Ambassador Cuisia notes that the Philippine mango is known-worldwide for its superior taste, which should allow it to command a premium price.
Agriculture Attache Javelosa said that as a result of the USDA ruling, mangoes grown in areas free from both pulp and seed weevil can now be allowed for export to anywhere in the US and its territories after undergoing vapor-heat treatment or irradiation at 150gy, pre-clearance procedures and other phytosanitary requirements effective 1 October 2014.
Javelosa pointed out that the USDA ruling also establishes a lower irradiation dose as a treatment for mango pulp weevil at 165gy from the generic dose of 300gy. She said that mango growers in Palawan will benefit from this ruling as it offers them a less costly treatment compared to irradiation at the higher dose.
According to the Bureau of Plant Industry, the major regular and lucrative markets for Philippine mangoes are Japan and South Korea, which accounted for 29 percent or 5,363 metric tons of the total Philippine mango export volume of 18,440 metric tons in 2012.
The rest of the country’s fresh mango produce was exported to Hong Kong, China, Singapore, New Zealand, the Middle East and Canada, among other markets.
In a recent Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) case study of the Philippine mango industry authored by Briones, Turingan and Rakotoarisoa, several on-going initiatives were identified to help new investors in mango exporting and processing.
These include the nationwide farmers' registry being developed by the Department of Agriculture to help locate suppliers with track record of producing good-quality mangoes; research and development efforts to further improve mango production and postharvest technologies; and extension measures to promote improved technologies for increased yield and quality such as in fertilizer management, integrated pest management and flower induction. ### 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has lifted an entry ban on fresh mangoes from several Philippines regions after determining fruit there is free of weevil pests.
The action by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Oct. 1 finalized a rule proposed in April.
Previously, only mangoes grown on the island of Guimaras could be imported to the mainland U.S. Guimaras was earlier established as free of mango seed weevil and pulp weevil. Fruit from everywhere else in the Philippines – except Palawan – had access to Hawaii and Guam only.
The Philippines government asked for recognition of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao as free of the two pests.
The USDA also determined that the mango pulp weevil can be neutralized with a lower dose of irradiation than the generic dose for plant pests. A dose specific to the seed weevil already existed. The new rule permits imports that are either from regions free of both pests, or treated with the specific doses.
In 2013, the U.S. imported 155 metric tons of mangoes worth $424,000 from the Philippines, up from 50 metric tons worth $118,000 in 2009, according to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
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