Philip Goldberg

Philip Goldberg (born August 1, 1956) is an American senior diplomat and government official, who served as the United States Ambassador to the Philippines. He served previously as Charge d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile, Chief of Mission in Pristina, Kosovo, and as Ambassador to Bolivia. He was nominated on October 23, 2009 to be INR Assistant Secretary and confirmed by the Senate on February 9, 2010.

Goldberg is a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and is a graduate of The Rivers School and Boston University. Before joining the Foreign Service, Goldberg, who speaks Spanish, worked as a liaison officer between the city government of New York City and the United Nations and consular community.

Goldberg is a Career Minister in the U.S. Senior Foreign Service. Goldberg has served overseas as a consular and political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, and political-economic officer in Pretoria, South Africa. From 1994 to 1996 Goldberg served as the State Department's Desk Officer for Bosnia and a Special Assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. As Special Assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Goldberg was a member of the American negotiating team in the lead-up to the Dayton Peace Conference and Chief of Staff for the American Delegation at Dayton. From 1996 to 1998 Goldberg served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State. From 1998 to 2000 Goldberg served as Executive Assistant (1998–2000) to the Deputy Secretary of State. In 2001 Goldberg served as a senior member of the State Department team handling the transition from the Clinton to Bush Administrations. From January 2001 to June 2001 Goldberg served as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs. From 2001 to 2004 Goldberg served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile. From June 2009 until June 2010, he served as the Coordinator for Implementation of UNSC Resolution 1874 (Sanctions) on North Korea. He has received numerous honors for his work including Presidential Distinguished and Meritorious Rank awards, and the State Department's Distinguished Honor Award.

Goldberg assumed the duties of Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR) February 16, 2010, leading one of 16 elements in the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). INR's primary mission is to harness intelligence to serve U.S. diplomacy. Drawing on all-source intelligence, INR provides value-added independent analysis of events to U.S. State Department policymakers; ensures that intelligence activities support foreign policy and national security purposes; and serves as the focal point in the State Department for ensuring policy review of sensitive counterintelligence and law enforcement activities around the world.

President George W. Bush nominated Philip S. Goldberg as Ambassador to Bolivia and his nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 3, 2006. Goldberg presented his credentials to Bolivian President Evo Morales on October 13, 2006.

In August 2007, the United States was accused by Government Minister Juan Ramón Quintana of funding opposition to President Morales by providing opposition leaders and critical think-tanks with millions of dollars. According to Quintana, the US Government Aid agency, USAID, had implied by reference in documents in Bolivia's possession that funding was to help restore democracy to Bolivia. Morales indirectly threatened retaliation against the ambassador for interference with Bolivia's government. Tom Casey, a spokesman for the State Department, denied these allegations.

On September 10, 2008, in the midst of violence in Bolivia's lowlands, the Morales announced at a rally of his youth supporters that he was declaring Ambassador Goldberg persona non grata. The Telegraph reported on September 12, 2008 that President Morales had been angered by a meeting between Goldberg and Santa Cruz Governor Rubén Costas. Costas, founder of "Autonomy for Bolivia", has pressed for democracy and autonomy for Bolivia's regions. Morales claimed that by meeting Costas, Goldberg was plotting against Bolivia's government.

Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador Goldberg, and Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. pose for a photo at Goldberg's swearing-in ceremony.

In 2013, U.S President Barack Obama appointed Goldberg as the new U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, replacing Harry K. Thomas Jr. who had been assigned to the country since 2010. Goldberg's nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate, and he was sworn in on November 23, 2013. Goldberg arrived in Manila on December 2, 2013 and presented his credentials to Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

During a campaign sortie for the Philippine presidency, Rodrigo Duterte narrated a gang rape case to a gathering of supporters, of an Australian missionary, Jacqueline Hamill, during the 1989 hostage crisis in Davao City, where he was incumbent mayor for 22 years. Duterte joked that he< as Mayor, should have been first to rape the missionary. In a CNN television interview, Goldberg supported an earlier statement by his Australian colleague saying "I am not going to comment on your election or candidates, but any statement by anyone, anywhere that either degrade women or trivialize issues so serious as rape or murder, are not ones that we condone." On August 9, 2016 while speaking at a military base, President Duterte called Goldberg a "gay son of a bitch" for responding to the rape joke during the campaign, prompting the U.S. State Department to summon the Filipino chargé d'affaires Patrick Chuasoto to discuss Duterte's comments.