The United States Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney epitomized truly the modern-day Ambassador of Goodwill. Kenney embodied everything that is good, true, democratic and global about America. No Ugly American, she is.

The warm and genteel persona of Kristie reminded people about the cheerful American Peace Corps volunteers in Bohol and the happy G.I. Joes that gave away chocolates and gums to the fascinated Pinoy brothers.

Chiefly, she came to make a pitch for the environment, a global concern that will define the survival parameters of mankind in the 21st Century. The US Ambassador launched the "Going Green: An Environmental Tool Kit for the Tourism Sector in the Philippine Coastal Areas."

The objective is to support the thrust of coastal resource management and marine protected area management since Bohol is the lucky choice site of the US-AID-funded Coastal Resources and Fisheries Conservation Project.

Political will of governors and steadfast stewardship of natural resources of the governed citizens are both essential to give justice to the resolve of these foreign technical and financial assistance. Not doing so could signal the end of our well-endowed natural resources which Ambassador saved no superlative words to describe.

How deserving are we to be honored by such American attention on our environment?

For one, the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) had promised to open the proverbial "pandora's box" that contains the listing of resorts violative of environmental laws in the fabled island of Panglao. DENR regional officials not yet giving that final list are the equivalent of budding actor applicants - very "promising." With two different meanings, of course.

We should invite by way of this editorial the new Environmental czar, former Manila City mayor Lito Atienza and check for himself these glaring violations unattended by his men.

We challenge newly-elected come-backing Panglao Mayor Dodong Alcala to crack the whip and show the violators he means business. The newly created Council of Elders chaired by Chairman German philanthropist Hans Schoof has expressed the same concern.

For another, there is the "done deal" oil exploration of some Australian interests which this government seems to accept with wide-open arms without seriously looking at the impact on the fisher folks and biodiversity. If one judges by the acts of some of our local public officials in the "seismic survey" stage of the oil gang, they are falling over one another to become doormats to "foreign interests" without even telling the people the fine prints of the agreement foisted by and agreed upon by the Manila Office of the Department of Energy.

How's that for leadership in the stewardship and preservation of the province's natural resources? Failing grade, we must say. But certainly, the visiting ambassador, on the other hand, had high regard for the cooperative spirit of the government and private sectors in advancing the province's progress.

Further, Ambassador Kenney praised the country's economic potential which has started to attract foreign investors. But frank like most Americans can be, Kristie Kenney also called for more transparency in order to correct the corruption web in the country, the amelioration of the human rights problems and strengthening the institutions needed to address these concerns as adjuncts to make the nation a better country to live in.

America and the Philippines have a shared glory in history. Coming from the Spanish American War to the battlefields of the World War II, we have become brothers to the noble causes of freedom of democracy. American education and model of government alongside a free media and a spunk of Hollywood are legacies that America has greatly bestowed on our nation. For a time we rewarded Uncle Sam with two American sea and air bases in Clark and Subic and gave them Parity Rights over our resources.

Today we hold hands in the common battle against terrorism and environmental degradation. No better ally can we find than in Washington in this regard.

The warmth and amiable nature of the average American, Kristie Kenney brought forward with her effort to reach more Boholanos by visiting our sister station DYRD for a 20-minute interview. Her visit to the radio station is now part of broadcast history for being a first of such visit of a US Ambassador.

Kenney even gamely posed for posterity photos with media personnel, security guards and police at the station premises.

It was a day to remember such a great US Ambassador. She represented America's best so well.

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