JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is arriving in Manila this morning. Before joining President Barack Obama’s Cabinet Clinton was the first female Senator to represent New York, before that she was First Lady of the United States, and before that she was a successful lawyer. (I’m recounting this for small children and extraterrestrials.) Of all the American First Ladies, Clinton was probably the most involved in public policy. In 2007 she sought the Democratic Party nomination and came closer than any woman in history to becoming the President of the United States.

The avowed purpose of Secretary Clinton’s visit to Manila is to show solidarity with the Filipino people in the wake of natural calamities. According to Malacanang she will meet with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to discuss the conduct of the 2010 elections. Of course the spin on the meeting depends on who’s describing it. Arroyo’s allies call it a show of support for the president who, as we are frequently told, was former US President Bill Clinton’s classmate at Georgetown. Arroyo’s opponents view it as a strong…reminder that the coming presidential elections must proceed without a hitch.

The US Embassy in Manila is organizing the Hillary Clinton official visit—”developing the schedule” is the official phrase—including coordinating with local and foreign media for the news coverage. Media coverage of a visiting dignitary as popular as Secretary Clinton entails the most complex choreography; the jostling began long before her plane lands. (I’d like to see how the State Department will deal with the many persistent requests for photo-ops with the Secretary.)

I will be blogging the entire visit. This means I have a seat in one of the 20 or so vehicles in the Clinton motorcade, and will be present at all of the Secretary’s appointments. Whether I can get close enough to ask her a question is another matter. The print and broadcast media will handle the hard news coverage; I have the much more relaxed task of providing commentary, observing details that might not be apparent to readers and viewers of the traditional media, and generally describing what it’s like to be in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s airspace for two days.

In short I am less likely to get an elbow in the face from the media and security gathered round the distinguished guest. My worries are logistical: getting back to the van immediately after each stop (The embassy briefing made clear that the vans will not wait for the slow), being able to connect to the Internet on the go, and not running out of battery power before I can get to the next outlet.

Space in the van is limited so I’m bringing as little as possible: Macbook, camera with telephoto lens, nomadic broadband sticks (Please work). I hope to post a report every hour. I gather many of the stops on the traveling show will not have office facilities (i.e. tables and chairs) so I’ll probably be taking notes during Secretary Clinton’s appearances, running back to the van, and blogging in transit. During the town hall meeting at UST I can blog live and in relative comfort (They have desks). The rest is up in the air; good thing I like uncertainty. I won’t know today’s schedule until I get to the US Embassy at 8 am.

My coverage begins when Secretary Clinton’s plane lands. In the meantime if there’s anything in particular you’d like to know about The Visit, post a question and I’ll find someone to answer it.

Here’s something really live: Sashimi so fresh it’s jumping. Tokyo, November 2009. Photo by Uro de la Cruz.

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0759. I’m in the library of the US Embassy, trying not to get in people’s way. The official mood: Hurry up and wait. We’re waiting for all the vehicles in the motorcade to arrive.

Traffic on Edsa and Roxas Boulevard was manageable but building up. There was already a crush at the MRT station. Joggers and bikers along the Bay, which was not so picturesque this morning: a band of gray haze just above the water. A truck of policemen in front of the embassy, but the atmosphere is relaxed. Later Roxas Boulevard will be closed to traffic.

Thanks, Dr. Feelgood, for the proper question—makes me feel like a journalist. US troop movements in Afghanistan will no doubt be brought up in the course of the coverage. The pancit and kalamansi issue: totally within my expertise. I’ll find out. Secretary Clinton isn’t staying at the Manila Hotel on this trip; I gather she’s billeted at the Sofitel (Philippine Plaza). She will be spared the sight of Manila Hotel’s. . .redecoration. Haven’t been there in years, do they still have the golden spittoons from the late 90s?

Let me ask readers: What are your thoughts on Hillary Rodham Clinton? She’s one of the most admired and vilified public figures of our time—a woman who has taken just about everything her opponents can throw at her, and is still standing proudly.

I put the question to some friends, and here’s a sampling of the answers. Eres calls her “the most influential woman in America”, to which Noel replies, “Like most successful women, she’s a man.” Ria says, “She was able to gracefully transition into her new role, which I don’t think our lady President is capable of doing.” Raul: “She’s the bright girl who got the hot guy, and she looks better as she gets older.”