Romualdez assures Harvard faculty, students: House to help forge stronger ties with US

House Speaker Martin Romualdez
Photo from Martin Romualdez FB page

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has assured faculty members and students of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, that the legislature would help the current Philippine administration forge stronger ties with the United States (US).

Speaking before Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government on Thursday, Romualdez said that the House of Representatives would continue to represent the foreign policy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., where the Philippines is a friend to all and an enemy to none.

The Philippine House official, however, clarified that the Philippine-US relations are still unfinished, as both countries need to build on this tie to produce tangible results in the realm of economy and security.

“[The legislature] will continue to represent the will of the Filipino people under the leadership of President Marcos Jr., as the chief architect of Philippine foreign policy, of being a friend to all, an enemy to none,’” Romualdez said.  “And it is along these lines that we will continue to craft national legislation to serve our peoples and promote the national interests of our country.”

“Remember, however, that PH-US relations continue to be an unfinished project. Our task is to build upon the strong foundations of the past in order to achieve a common future of shared objectives and mutual prosperity. I hope that all of you here today realize that we can all be important partners in this regard,” he added.

Romualdez assured the audience that while the relations are an unfinished project, ties between the two countries are more vital than ever.

“The PH-US relations are strong. The military alliance is iron-clad. Our economic relations are robust. And the friendship between our two peoples is solid,” he said.

“May we all continue to make our small contributions to strengthen the friendship between our two peoples. May our work enhance the relations between the Philippines and the United States. May we draw the bilateral ties of our two countries even much closer,” he added.

Romualdez and several other House members, like Majority Floor Leader and Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe and Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales, visited the US to attend a series of lectures and engagements with their counterparts.

Romualdez met with his counterpart, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, to air the need for both countries to step up bilateral discussions — particularly on economic issues.

For the Harvard program, Romualdez was invited by the university’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for a talk and to answer questions from the Harvard community.

READ: Romualdez: We told US House Speaker to step up bilateral talks on economic issues 

‘Pinoy pride’

Romualdez also stressed that Harvard’s offering of a Tagalog course is a source of national pride.  According to the official, he is in full support of the program, saying that he hopes more students get to understand Filipino culture.

“Our language is our pride! And learning about Harvard’s new Tagalog language course, I am expressing my full support for the program. I hope and pray that the Harvard Tagalog course will flourish and grow in the future to include many aspects of Filipino culture,” he said.

“The teaching of Tagalog at Harvard University is a source of great national pride. The university is one of the top academic institutions in the world, if not the best. Its programs are emulated or duplicated in other institutions of higher learning. Kaya naman proud na proud tayo sa development na ito,” he added.

Harvard recently decided to include Asian languages like Tagalog, including Bahasa Indonesia and Thai, in its course offerings.  Tagalog is the widely-used dialect in the Philippines and is the fourth-most spoken language in the US.

“We express our gratitude to Harvard University for recognizing the need to teach the Filipino language to those interested to learn about our rich and diverse culture. Once again, our country is in the spotlight of the world stage, and I have never been so proud to be a Filipino,” he added.

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JPV/abc