President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Wednesday, November 6, met with Henry B. Howard, the Philippine honorary consul for the state of Florida and the founding director of the US-Philippines Society, in a Palace courtesy call.

During the meeting, President Duterte expressed his gratitude to the American consul for visiting the country.

A staunch supporter of the Philippines, Howard first came to the country as an American Field Service (AFS) high school exchange student in Cagayan de Oro in 1974.

In 2015, he was appointed as the Philippines’ honorary consul for the state of Florida.

Because of his extensive background in US-Philippine ties, Howard became the president and chief executive officer of the US Education Finance Group, an Advisory Board Member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a member of the Board of Directors of the US-Philippines Society, among his other duties.

The US-Philippines Society’s mission is to build on the rich and longstanding historical ties between the two nations and help bring that unique relationship fully into the 21st century.

It also aims to help create a new and timely mechanism for elevating the Philippines’ profile in the United States.

Howard is also deeply involved in Philippine education, establishing the Henry Howard Scholarship in 2001. The scholarship has graduated 44 scholars since its establishment.

The scholarship has supported 100 students, providing for their tuition, dormitory, food, books, clothes, uniforms, and annual home or parental visit travel expenses. PND