In this electronic age, however, the students didn’t have to go to Manila, nor did Secretary Clinton have to come down to Dumaguete. Everything was done online.

The former US First Lady, who was at the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila, made time to answer questions from at least one student to each at UST in Luzon, Silliman University in the Visayas, and Ateneo de Zamboanga in Mindanao. Third year Economics-Political Science student Ana Katrina Espino was chosen two days earlier by the US embassy to ask Secretary Clinton her question:  Will the efforts of your government to end recession affect your adherence to free trade principles?

Clinton, in response, said the US will continue to adhere to free trade principles as they find ways to strengthen their economy that has been victimized by the recession. She said the US needs to continue trading even with the Third World nations like the Philippines. Espino said the exchange was brief but that it gave her a “new personal high”. “It was such an honor to ask Madame Clinton even one question, especially that not everybody gets to have that chance to talk to someone considered the most powerful woman in the world”.

Before answering the question, Clinton first congratulated Espino for being a champion debater. Tv news anchor Tony Velasquez had introduced Espino as a debater who has won a strong of awards in national and international contests. After the one-hour forum with Secretary Clinton which was preceded by the ABS-CBN program Umagang Kay Ganda , other professors and students were also interviewed on ANC.

The interviewees included senior high school student Glenna Duch, the reigning Miss Silliman, some ebaters, and Fil-Am high school student , Jay Anderson. Our professor said if he was given the chance, he would have asked Clinton why it takes a long time to get a US visa- eliciting laughter from the audience. Some Dumagueteños who watched the forum live in the United States said they were asked by fellow Filipinos how Silliman may have been chose to present Visayan Students. They said they could only surmise that students at Silliman, which was established by American missionaries in 1901, are known to speak  fluent English.

Silliman Univeristy, the first American-founded school in the Philippines, also hosts the American Studies Resource Center, which is coordinated by the Thomas Jefferson Information Center of the US Embassy in Manila.  The University has also been a recipient of  generous grants provided by the US Agency for International Development.