A new chapter in US-PH relations

Ambassador and Mrs. Lee Lipton arrive in style.

- CAROLYN RAMORAN HAMILTON

“We’re going to make a difference, guys.”

Newly arrived U.S. Ambassador Lee Lipton delivered those words before more than 1,300 guests gathered at Shangri-La The Fort on July 2 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence. With his glass raised for a toast, he was offering an early glimpse of the tone he hopes will define his tenure in Manila.

His audience included diplomats, government officials, business leaders, members of the media, and Americans who now call the Philippines home. To many, it sounded like a promise. For the staff of one of the United States’ largest diplomatic missions in the world, it also set the tone for the work ahead.

Barely four days after arriving in Manila with his wife, Erika, Lipton had already presented his credentials to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and paid a courtesy call on Secretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro. By the time he stepped onto the stage for America’s largest diplomatic celebration in the Philippines, he had wasted little time signaling his priorities.

The reception marked more than the United States’ semiquincentennial. It also became the Philippine debut of Washington’s new chief diplomat at a particularly significant moment in one of America’s oldest alliances in Asia.

This year, the Philippines and the United States are celebrating 80 years of diplomatic relations, while 2026 also marks the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty. Together, the milestones reflect a partnership that has evolved well beyond traditional diplomacy into one spanning security, trade, education, disaster response, technology, and one of the largest people-to-people exchanges between any two nations.