Jose Manuel Romualdez INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LEO M. SABANGAN II.
A Commission on Appointments (CA) panel held an executive session on Wednesday to discuss whether or not to confirm the nomination of Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez as the Philippine ambassador to the United States.
READ: Columnist Babe Romualdez nominated as ambassador to US
Romualdez’s jurisdiction includes the Commonwealth of Jamaica, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and Grenadines and Saint Lucia.
Romualdez represents the Philippines at a time of tension between the country and United States as several American lawmakers and leaders have expressed concern on the Duterte administration’s violent crackdown on illegal drugs.
Asked about his views on criticism concerning drug-related killings, Romualdez said that the Senate investigation on the recent spate of killings is “a very good indication” that the Philippines is a “country of laws.”
Romualdez, a long-time columnist, hails from Leyte and belongs to the Romualdez political clan. JPV