A Filipino diplomat and four legislators were invited to the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States in Washington, D.C. on Monday (U.S. time).
In a television interview on Monday, Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez said he was invited as part of the diplomatic corps in the U.S.
“Actually, sa totoo lang, ako lang ang imbitado dahil ang United States Department officially ang representative lang ng each country, the diplomatic corps, ang imbitado. So, sa loob ng Capitol ‘yun,” he said.
He disclosed that the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs representative invited four Filipino lawmakers, including House deputy speaker Antonio Albano and deputy Raymond Democrito Mendoza.
Earlier, Romualdez said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was not invited to Trump’s inauguration because “as a matter of policy, no head of state is invited and only ambassadors represented in Washington are invited.”
He confirmed that the inauguration has been moved indoors due to the freezing temperature in the area between -7 and -11 degrees Fahrenheit or -21 to -23 degrees Celsius.
“There was a report that there is going to be a rally but I don’t think that it is going to be anything major because the security officers are not concerned in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Trump was the 45th U.S. President from 2016 to 2020. He lost his run for a back-to-back term in November 2020 to U.S. President Joe Biden.
He beat U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for the U.S. presidency in the November 2024 polls. (PNA)
