Jose Manuel “Babe” del Gallego Romualdez was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States of America in July 2017 by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. On the 29th of November 2017 he was credentialed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump and formally assumed office as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Additionally, as the head of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, Ambassador Romualdez is concurrently the Philippines’ emissary to the Commonwealth of Jamaica; Republic of Haiti; Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Antigua and Barbuda; Bahamas; Barbados; Dominica; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and Saint Lucia. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Romualdez was designated as a special envoy of the Philippine President to the United States. Formerly the CEO of Stargate Media Corporation and Publisher of People Asia Magazine (The Philippine Star affiliate), he continues to write columns for The Philippine Star. He was president of the Manila Overseas Press Club and Vice President of Rotary Club of Manila.