US envoy Carlson caps PH stint
US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson is bowing out after a nearly four-year posting in the Philippines, listing several milestones achieved in Manila-Washington relations during her watch.
Carlson’s parting message included not only a recap of serious affairs of state but also a bit of trivia about her Pinoy experience, including the Filipino song she would “take in my heart.”
The retiring Carlson marked her last day on Friday as America’s top diplomat in the country. In October last year, US President Donald Trump announced that her successor would be Lee Lipton. The US Senate received Lipton’s nomination only on Jan. 13.
Carlson’s Manila stint lasting three years and eight months also capped her four decades in the US foreign service which began in 1985.
Before her Manila assignment—she was appointed to the post by then US President Joe Biden in February 2022—the Arkansas native had served in China, India, Ukraine and various countries in Africa and Latin America.
In a statement on Friday, Carlson said “Serving as the US Ambassador to the Philippines has been an honor—the highlight of my forty-year career. Thank you very, very much and until then.”
‘Shared values’
The diplomat considered her work “strengthening US-Philippines ties” as her “swan song.”
“The US-Philippines relationship as friends, partners, and allies has never been stronger or more consequential,” she said during her farewell reception on Jan. 14. “The sheer number of visits and engagements by senior-level US officials and business leaders demonstrates the importance Americans place on relations with the Philippines.”
Other accomplishments on her watch include over 500 joint military exercises and security activities, joint investment ventures, such as the Luzon Economic Corridor, and more than $300 million in US aid to the Philippines in 2025 alone.
“We increased the complexity and size of our premier annual exercise, ‘Balikatan,’ and established Task Force Philippines to facilitate a comprehensive, archipelagic defense and disaster response coordination,” Carlson said. “Together, we have defended international law in the South China Sea, upholding the rights of Filipino fisherfolk. Our alliance is truly ironclad, and our shared commitment has never been stronger.”
‘Forgiving of vocal range’
Carlson also recalled once being asked: “What’s your song?”
“People earnestly counseled me to select a song I would be willing to sing in public,” Carlson said. “But I had never sung karaoke! Thankfully, I quickly learned that renowned Filipino hospitality extends to being very forgiving of one’s vocal range.”
“So, what’s my song? Over the last three-plus years, I sang Louis Armstrong’s “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” many times—because it’s short and has a long instrumental interlude! But as I depart the Philippines, the quintessential Filipino holiday tune ‘Kumukutikutitap’ (twinkling) … is the song I take in my heart,” she said.
“It’s not about how well you sing; it’s about the shared experience that helps build meaningful relationships. In the Philippines, contacts become colleagues; colleagues become friends; and friends become family,” Carlson said.
