The Philippine Embassy in the United States, headed by Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, hosted a reception for the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez raises a toast to US President-elect Donald Trump and his administration ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration. (Photo courtesy of Amb. Romualdez)
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Jan. 18, the envoy shared photos of the reception that welcomed representatives from the incoming administration, campaign and transition team, donors, and the media.
“In honor of the upcoming inauguration of President @realDonaldTrump and to celebrate PH-US relations, I hosted a reception at our Embassy bringing together representatives from the incoming administration, U.S. Congress, Trump campaign and transition team, donors, and media,” Romualdez wrote.
Trump will be inaugurated on Monday, Jan. 20 (Washington time), inside the United States Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. The event was moved indoors due to the freezing temperatures and high winds.
In his post, Romualdez said he is looking forward to further strengthening US-Philippine relations under the new administration.
“I and our Embassy team look forward to working with President Trump and his administration, from the White House to Congress, with faces old and new, for the next four years in order to bring PH-US relations to even greater heights. Cheers,” he added.
Trump won over US Vice President Kamala Harris during the November 2024 presidential polls.
This is his second term as he previously served as president from 2016 to 2020, but lost to US President Joe Biden in November 2020.
Meanwhile, Romualdez bade farewell to outgoing US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia.
US Armed Forces Farewell Tribute honoring Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III on Jan. 17, 2025. (Photo from Amb. Romualdez)
Austin, who took office in January 2021 served as the 28th secretary of the US Department of Defense.
“I attended the heartwarming US Armed Forces Farewell Tribute in honor of @SecDef Lloyd Austin III today. Thank you, Secretary Austin, for your leadership and profound contributions to a stronger and resilient Philippines-US alliance,” Romualdez wrote in a separate X post.
“I will never forget your powerful words that changed the course of our bilateral relations - we realize that we should never take our allies for granted,” he added.