Nomination of PHL ambassador ‘step in the right direction,’ says top diplomat

Consul General Tess Dizon-De Vega during the ConGen Press Hour with the Fil-Am Press Club of New York. Photo by Lambert Parong/FAPCNY

The nomination of Jose Manuel ‘Babe’ Romualdez as Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. “will help” normalize relations between the two countries, said Consul General in New York Tess Dizon-De Vega.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” she said in an August 14 press conference with the FilAm media led by the Fil-Am Press Club of New York. “It will help” (normalize relations).

Malacanang announced in July the nomination of Romualdez as Manila’s ambassador to the U.S., ending a long vacancy in the post. Career diplomat Patrick Chuasoto has assumed the position of Chargé d’Affaires in the absence of an ambassador, for more than year since President Rodrigo Duterte became president. It is possibly the longest period the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. has been without a chief of mission.

Duterte has publicly quarreled with the U.S. government and leaders who accused him of human rights violations for encouraging state police to kill drug suspects without the benefit of a legal process. Within two months in office, he insulted President Obama, calling him “son of a whore.” His government adopted a foreign policy that reduced its dependence on the Philippines’ long-time ally, cozying up instead to powers, such as China and Russia, that are not on the best terms with the U.S. He has declared he would never visit America while he is president. Recently, he demanded the U.S. return the church bells American soldiers took as “war booty” from the Balangiga town in Samar during the Philippine- American war of 1901.

“It’s very different when there is a permanent ambassador,” said Dizon-De Vega. “It shows the importance you give to the relations.”

President Duterte and Ambassador-Designate Jose Manuel ‘Babe’ Romualdez (right). Photo: Philippine Star

The confirmation of Romualdez by the Commission on Appointment and the final acceptance of the U.S. of his nomination are procedures that are likely to take time, said Dizon-De Vega. She is confident the new envoy will be in the U.S. by the end of the year.

Romualdez, a distant relative of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, will succeed Jose Cuisia, who was ambassador during the presidency of Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino. He has an extensive career in public relations and media. He is publisher of Stargate People Asia magazine and a columnist of Philippine Star.

Dizon-De Vega added that the ambassador-designate has established good relations with think tanks in the U.S. He is seen to be acceptable to the U.S. military, she added.

She said feedback to the nomination was “very positive.” Romualdez and U.S. Ambassador to Manila Sung Kim are “talking.”

“I think we can now move forward in the agenda,” she said.

The agenda is likely to revolve around economics; regional and international security; development assistance; and the Millennium Challenge (MC), a part of the bilateral relations “which doesn’t get much attention,” she said. MC is a form of U.S. foreign assistance granted to countries committed to promoting good governance and ending corruption. The Philippines was a recipient country during the Aquino Government.

“He speaks excellent Spanish,” Dizon-De Vega also said of Romualdez.

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