The country’s chief envoy to Washington D.C. was cited for his “exemplary strides in fostering bilateral relations” between the United States and the Philippines, resulting in the return of the Balangiga Bells to the country, the vastly improved relations between the two long-time allies, the successful negotiation and procurement of COVID-19 vaccines for the Philippines, and the “extraordinary improvement in trade relations between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce.”
Jose Manuel G. Romualdez, the Philippines’ ambassador to the United States, has just added another feather to his cap after earning the prestigious “Ambassador of the Year” award from the Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) during virtual ceremonies last Thursday.
Romualdez, who has been based in Washington D.C. for several years now, is also the concurrent publisher, president, and chief executive officer (on leave) of Stargate Media Corp., the company behind PeopleAsia magazine.
In handing out the award, RCM cited the Philippine envoy’s “exemplary strides in fostering bilateral relations” between the United States and the Philippines, resulting in the return of the historic Balangiga Bells of Samar to the country “where it rightfully belongs,” the vastly improved relations between the two countries and long-time allies, the successful negotiation and procurement of COVID-19 vaccines for the Philippines, especially during the early days of the country’s vaccination efforts, and the “extraordinary improvement in trade relations between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce.”
In his acceptance speech, Romualdez admitted that the last four years of his tenure in the US has been challenging but, at the same time, rewarding and fulfilling because of the unique opportunity given him “to serve in a government position during challenging and critical times in our country’s history.”
“As we saw and experienced in the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has upended the lives of many people all over the world, and have brought down the economy of so many nations,” the country’s chief envoy to Washington D.C. concluded.
