International Public Service Award Conferred On Ambassador Romualdez in Chicago

Chicago, 14 November 2019 – H.E. Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, Philippine Ambassador to the United States, received the International Public Service Award at the 25th Chicago Filipino Asian American Hall of Fame Awards Gala held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago O’Hare on 9 November 2019.

The award was bestowed on Ambassador Romualdez for his sterling leadership in promoting Philippine interests as Ambassador to the United States, and previously as Special Envoy to the U.S. He was also recognized for his passionate and articulate leadership as a publisher and journalist.

Ambassador Romualdez entered the ballroom to a standing ovation and loud applause from the seven hundred guests in attendance. He then joined a colorful parade honoring the awardees.

In his keynote address, Ambassador Romualdez dedicated the international award to all Filipinos overseas who continue to give back to the Philippines and contribute to the progress of their host countries. He also lauded Filipinos in America for being among the most hard working and wealthiest ethnic groups in the country. He also shared the good news about the Philippine economy, and urged the community to visit the Philippines and join in nation-building through entrepreneurship, trade and investment.

Now on its twenty-fifth year, the Hall of Fame awards is the most-awaited gala event of the Filipino community in Chicago, with the largest crowd in attendance. The event has established a high-profile visibility for Filipinos and Filipino Americans in mainstream America, and it has shown that they are established, successful in all kinds of profession and talents, and united as an ethnic group among America’s diverse population.

As the silver anniversary of the Hall of Fame awards, the event organized by VIA Times Magazine and Chicago Philippine Reports TV (CPRTV) also served as a Grand Reunion of past awardees. Ambassador Romualdez presented a surprise award given by the Filipino-American community to Ms. Veronica Leighton, pioneering publisher of VIA Times and executive producer of CPRTV, for being a trailblazing journalist and raising the profile of Filipino Americans in the Midwest.

Other notable dignitaries recognized during the gala were Filipino American former Bellevue, Nebraska Mayor Rita Sanders, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, Filipino American candidate for Illinois Supreme Court and Cook County Circuit Court Appellate Judge Jesse Reyes, and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. END

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez (right) receives the International Public Service Award from Veronica Leighton (second from right), publisher of VIA Times, and Billy Dec (third from right), Emmy Award winner and restaurateur, during the Chicago Filipino Asian American Hall of Fame Awards held in Chicago on 9 November 2019. (Chicago PCG/Arnel Santiago)