Jose Manuel "Babe" del Gallego Romualdez (born November 8, 1947) is a Filipino journalist, publisher and business executive who is the current Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States. He previously served as

Special Envoy Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

of President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

to the United States.

Early life and education

Romualdez was born on November 8, 1947Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899–1984
" database with images, ''

FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is part of the Church's Family History Department (FHD). The Fami ...

'' (November 11, 2017), Romualdez, November 8, 1947; Birth, November 8, 1947, City of Manila Civil Registrar, Philippines; FHL microfilm 1,495,971. in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

to Alberto Romualdez Sr., a former secretary general of the

World Medical Association The World Medical Association (WMA) is an international and independent confederation of free professional medical associations representing physicians worldwide. WMA was formally established on September 17, 1947 and has grown to 115 national me ...

, and Covadonga del Gallego, a former chair of the Pathology Department of the

University of Santo Tomas Hospital The University of Santo Tomas Hospital (''simply'' UST Hospital or USTH) is a hospital located at the University of Santo Tomas. The hospital has two divisions, a clinical teaching hospital that offers inexpensive medical care for indigent pa ...

. His siblings include former

Secretary of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate Minister of Mental Health, ...

Alberto Romualdez Jr. and footballer

Johnny Romualdez Juan Miguel "Johnny" del Gallego Romualdez was a former Philippine international footballer and former President of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF). Early life and education Johnny Romualdez was born to a family of doctors and was the se ...

. He is also the nephew of former

House Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

Daniel Z. Romualdez Daniel Zialcita Romualdez (September 11, 1907 – March 22, 1965) was a Philippines, Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1957 to ...

and is related to former First Lady

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand ...

, with her children: Imee, Bongbong,

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...

and Aimee being his second cousins. On his mother's side, his maternal grandfather was a Spanish explorer named Don Juan del Gallego who founded the town of

Del Gallego, Camarines Sur Del Gallego, officially the Municipality of Del Gallego (; ), is a municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,403 people. It is used to be called Danawin and located along ...

. His uncle Manuel del Gallego became governor of

Camarines Sur Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...

in the 1940s. He is also related to actress

Heart Evangelista Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco-Escudero (born February 14, 1985) known professionally as Heart Evangelista, is a Filipino actress. She is currently an exclusive artist of GMA Network represented by Alice Talents Agency in Paris, France and Direct ...

through her mother, Maria Cecilia del Gallego-Payawal. He went to Ateneo de Manila University Grade School from 1954 to 1962 and to Ateneo de Manila University High School from 1962 to 1965. In 1965, he and his family moved to New York City after his father's election to the World Medical Association. There, he studied at Forest Hills High School from 1965 to 1966. During this time, Romualdez worked as a part-time waiter in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and as a grocery-boy at an A&P supermarket in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. Romualdez returned to the Philippines in 1966 where he went to De La Salle College. In 1970, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

from the university.

Career

Right after graduating college, Romualdez started working as a TV newscaster and then anchor for NewsWatch, a newscast television program that aired on

Kanlaon Broadcasting System Radio Philippines Network, Inc. (RPN) is a Philippine television and radio company based in Quezon City. It is currently owned through majority share by Nine Media Corporation of the ALC Group of Companies; along with the Presidential Commu ...

(KBS). He rose to become executive assistant to the station's chairman of the board, and eventually was president and vice chairman of the board of the Television Corporation of the Philippines. In 1989, he coordinated the media group for the official visit of then-Vice President

Salvador Laurel Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel (, November 18, 1928 – January 27, 2004), also known as Doy Laurel, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the Vice President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under President Cor ...

to the United States. He also coordinated then-President

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...

's working visit to the U.S. in 1999. He was also a member of the business delegation of presidents

Ramos Ramos is a surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin that means "bouquets" or "branches". People with the surname Ramos are most likely found in Mexico, Brazil or Puerto Rico. Notable people and characters with the surname include: People ...

during his visit to the U.S. and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in May 1997 and to APEC Canada in November 1997; Aquino III during his visits to China, Japan and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

; and Duterte during his official visit to Japan. In 2007, he was elected president of the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) and in 2010, he was elected board chairman. He is currently MOPC's vice chairman. Romualdez also held various positions including being vice president of the

Rotary Club of Manila The Rotary Club of Manila is the first and oldest Rotary Club in Asia. After its establishment, the Rotary Club of Manila sponsored other organizations, including the Rotary Club of Cebu (1932), the Rotary Club of Iloilo (1933), the Community Ch ...

, executive vice president of the Philippine Trade Foundation, and chairman of the Philippine offices of several US-based multinational firms, including FCB Manila and

Weber Shandwick Weber Shandwick is a marketing communications firm formed in 2001 by merging the Weber Group, Shandwick International and BSMG. The company is part of global agency network Interpublic Group The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG) is a ...

Philippines. From January 2016 to September 2017, he was the

honorary consul A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

to the Philippines. He was the President and CEO of Stargate Media Corp., an affiliate of the

Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

and the publishing company of ''PEOPLE Asia'' magazine, where Romualdez was the publisher. He is also a columnist at the Philippine Star.

Ambassador to the United States

Presentation-of-Credentials-by-AJMR-to-Pres-Trump

From July to December 2016, Romualdez was appointed by President

as his Special Envoy to the United States. In December 2016, he was asked by President Duterte to be the Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States. However, he declined the offer saying he could not assume the post for at least six months since he was to have an emergency operation for an eye ailment in January. His appointment as special envoy was later renewed on July 9, 2017. On July 24, 2017, Romualdez was finally nominated by the President to be the Philippines' Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America. He was confirmed by the

Commission on Appointments The Commission on Appointments (, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by the 1987 Constitution. Whil ...

on August 23, 2017, and took his oath on August 29. He presented his credentials to

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

on November 29. He is the third member of the

Romualdez Romualdez () is a Filipino language, Filipino surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alberto Romualdez (1940–2013), Filipino politician and doctor *Martin Romualdez (born 1963), Filipino politician, Media businessman person *Benjamin ...

family to occupy the post after his uncles Eduardo Romualdez and

Benjamin Romualdez Carlos Benjamin Orestes "Kokoy" Trinidad Romualdez (September 24, 1930 – February 21, 2012) was a Filipino politician who served as Governor of Leyte and later appointed as ambassador to the United States, China and Saudi Arabia. He was a ...

. In May 2018, Ambassador Romualdez and the

Philippine Embassy The Republic of the Philippines has a network of diplomatic missions in major cities around the world, under the purview of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to forward the country's interests in the areas that they serve, as well as to ...

were criticized for choosing to celebrate their

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

celebrations at the Trump International Hotel in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Despite the criticisms, however, the 120th Philippine Independence Day celebration still went through with the embassy defending their choice of venue by calling it "elegant and historic" for the occasion. As ambassador, Romualdez facilitated the return of the

Balangiga bells The Balangiga bells (; ; ) are three church bells that were taken by the United States Army from the Church of San Lorenzo de Martir in Balangiga, Eastern Samar, Philippines, as war trophies after reprisals following the Balangiga massacre in ...

back to the Philippines. He represented the Philippine government during the official turnover ceremony of the bells in November 2018 and was present during the welcoming ceremony and handover of the bells in

Villamor Airbase Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, known simply as Villamor Air Base , is the headquarters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and shares runways with Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). It was formerly known as Nichols Field or Nichols ...

in December. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Romualdez facilitated a deal with then-

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American retired politician who served in the First presidency of Donald Trump#Administration, first administration of Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) fr ...

which was supposed to supply the Philippines with 10 million doses of the

Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an MRNA vaccine, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with the America ...

as early as January 2021. However, the deal was reportedly "dropped" and delivery of the vaccines was pushed back to June 2021 reportedly due to Health Secretary Francisco Duque's failure to submit a confidentiality disclosure agreement (CDA). Aside from Pfizer, Romualdez was also instrumental in the talks to secure

Moderna Moderna, Inc. ( ) is an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that focuses on RNA therapeutics, primarily mRNA vaccines. These vaccines use a copy of a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to carry inst ...

, Janssen, and

Novavax Novavax, Inc. is an American biotechnology company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, that develops vaccines to counter serious infectious diseases. Prior to 2020, company scientists developed experimental vaccines for influenza and respiratory sy ...

vaccines to the country. In April 2021, he presented his credentials as non-resident ambassador to the

Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Tapley Seaton. The following month, he presented his credentials as non-resident ambassador to the

Governor-General of Jamaica The governor-general of Jamaica () is the representative of the Jamaican monarch, currently King Charles III, in Jamaica. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Jamaica. The functions ...

Patrick Allen Patrick Allen may refer to: * Patrick Allen (actor) (1927–2006), British actor * Patrick Allen (music educator) (born 1955), English author * Patrick Allen (American football) (1961–2021), American football player * Patrick Allen (bowler) (born ...

. In a virtual ceremony, he presented his credentials as non-resident ambassador to the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Susan Dougan Dame Susan Dilys Dougan ( Ryan; born 3 March 1955) is the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 1 August 2019. She is the first woman to hold the office. She was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and S ...

in November 2021. Romualdez's term as the ambassador to the United States was renewed in the

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

of his second cousin, President

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...

, for which he took his oath of office earlier on July 5, 2022, with his re-appointment being confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on August 31, 2022.

Personal life

Romualdez is married to Maria Lourdes Marquez-Romualdez. They have four children. He is an avid golfer and is affiliated with the Manila Golf and Country Club and the

Manila Polo Club The Manila Polo Club is the premiere polo club in the Philippines. It was established in 1909 during the American colonial era in the Philippines, American colonial era by Governor General William Cameron Forbes as a venue for polo and leisure fo ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romualdez, Jose Manuel 1947 births Living people Filipino columnists Ambassadors of the Philippines to the United States Ambassadors of the Philippines to Saint Kitts and Nevis Ambassadors of the Philippines to Jamaica Ambassadors of the Philippines to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Filipino television news anchors Filipino television executives RPN News and Public Affairs people De La Salle University alumni Filipino expatriates in the United States Writers from Manila Journalists from Manila 20th-century Filipino journalists 21st-century journalists 20th-century Filipino writers 21st-century Filipino writers Filipino publishers (people) 21st-century publishers (people) Filipino people of Spanish descent Duterte administration personnel Romualdez family Bongbong Marcos administration personnel