Edge Rewrite
location Source code View original
// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a2a796c9dadf6bf7

Jump to content

Rommel Romato

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rommel Romato
Philippine Consul General in Jeddah
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 14, 2025
PresidentBongbong Marcos
Preceded byEdgar Tomas Auxilian
Philippine Chargé d'affaires to Saudi Arabia
In office
July 1, 2022 – February 6, 2025
PresidentBongbong Marcos
Preceded byAdnan Alonto
(as Ambassador)
Succeeded byRaymond Balatbat
(as Ambassador)
Personal details
Born1981 (age 44–45)
SpouseDr Nizhreen Mapandi-Romato
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines Diliman (BA), Linacre College, Oxford (MSt)

Rommel Ariman Romato (locally [roˈmɛl aɾiˈman roˈmatuː]; born 1981) is a Filipino diplomat and the current Consul General of the Republic of the Philippines in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[1] He previously served as the chargé d'affaires ad interim of the Republic of the Philippines to Saudi Arabia from July 2022 to February 2025.[2][3]

Early life and education

[edit]

Romato was born in 1981 in Marawi City, Philippines. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from the University of the Philippines Diliman where he became the first Muslim student to be elected chairperson of the UP Diliman University of Student Council.[4][5][6]

He gained a Master of Studies in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Oxford and won the Ralph Feltham Prize for his research on maritime piracy around the Horn of Africa.[4] During his time at Oxford, he co-founded the Oxford Philippines Society.[7] He also attended The Hague Academy of International Law.[8]

Career

[edit]
Romato with President Michael D. Higgins at the presentation of credentials by Ambassador Antonio Lagdameo at Áras an Uachtaráin, Dublin, April 19, 2018.

Romato is a career member of the Foreign Service of the Philippines. He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2009 after serving as a legal researcher at the Office of the Ombudsman from 2004 to 2009. From 2012 to 2013, he was seconded to the United Nations' International Maritime Organization.[9] From 2013 to 2019, he served at the Philippine Embassy in London and contributed to the establishment of Philippines studies at SOAS University of London.[10][11] In 2021, he was assigned as Consul General at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, which he later led as chargé d'affaires ad interim from 2022 to 2025.[12][13]

Chargé d'affaires to Saudi Arabia

In September 2022, Romato received an official visit by Secretary Susan Ople of the Department of Migrant Workers.[14] During the visit, Secretary Ople held successful meetings with Saudi officials leading to the lifting of the Philippine Government's deployment ban of workers to Saudi Arabia and negotiations on improving working conditions of nearly a million overseas Filipino workers in the Kingdom.[15] He met with Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on February 26, 2023, to discuss ways to strengthen GCC-Philippines relations in areas such as security, welfare of migrant workers, trade, and tourism.[16]

On October 19–20, 2023, Chargé d'affaires Romato oversaw the official visit of President Bongbong Marcos to Saudi Arabia to attend the inaugural ASEAN-GCC Summit in Riyadh.[17] During this visit, President Marcos also met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.[18]

Chargé d'affaires Romato facilitated Philippine Department of Trade and Industry-led business missions to Saudi Arabia from 2024 to 2025 and spearheaded the establishment of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) at the Embassy, along with the appointment of a Philippine commercial attaché in Riyadh on November 1, 2024.[19][20]

Romato (right) with Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud who hosted a luncheon in honor of Philippine Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla (left) in Riyadh, October 14, 2024.

In March 2024, Romato along with embassy officials travelled to Aden, Yemen to meet intermediaries in efforts to secure the release of the crew (including 17 Filipino seafarers) of the MV Galaxy Leader, who were later released on January 21, 2025, after 430 days in captivity.[21]

In May 2024, following a request initiated by the Philippine Embassy, the Supreme Court of the Philippines allowed Filipino professionals in Saudi Arabia to participate online in the Shari'ah training seminar and take the Shari'ah Bar exam in the Philippines.[22][23]

Romato welcomed Secretary Raphael Lotilla of the Department of Energy to Riyadh in October 2024 for his meetings with his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud and Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih and for the signing of the first memorandum of understanding (MOU) on energy cooperation between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.[24][25]

Personal life

[edit]

Romato is married to physician Nizhreen Mapandi-Romato. They have four children.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Foreign Ministry's Makkah Branch Director General Receives Consul General of the Philippines". Saudi Press Agency. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Riyadh Region Mayor Attends Embassy of Philippines National Day Ceremony". Saudi Press Agency. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Rocamora, Joyce Ann (28 July 2024). "17 Filipino hostages in Yemen safe from Israeli strike: PBBM". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Philippine Embassy Riyadh". Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia. Department of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  5. ↑ Abdulwahid, Shahana (27 April 2007). "Beating the Odds" (PDF). The Manila Times. p. D2. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Phoa, Dayangku Hajah Saidah (29 January 2003). "Kebawah DYMM terima Penganugerahan Ijazah Doktor Kehormat Undang-Undang" (PDF). 48. No. 5. Pelita Brunei. p. 9. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "Committee | Oxford Philippines Society". oxfordphilippinessociety.site.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  8. ↑ "Biography" (PDF). Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah. Retrieved March 31, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ "Philippines acts on call for support to the International Maritime Organization". Philippine Embassy in the United Kingdom. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  10. ↑ Alcantara, Melissa (20 February 2018). "University of London opens PH Studies forum after £75k grant from DFA". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  11. ↑ Upovpaa. "UP connects with Filipino scholars in Europe". University of the Philippines Website. University of the Philippines System. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  12. ↑ Alhamawi, Lama (20 April 2023). "Philippine embassy hosts Ramadan iftar for students". Arab News. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Lee-Brago, Pia. "Philippine embassy in Saudi opens talks on solar power". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  14. ↑ "Al-Rajhi, Ople discuss ways to deal with Saudi-Philippine common challenges". Saudi Gazette. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  15. ↑ Ople, Susan. "State of Saudi-Philippine labor cooperation is 'all good'". Arab News. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  16. ↑ "GCC Secretary General Discusses Means to Strengthen GCC-Philippines Relations With the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Gulf Cooperation Council. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  17. ↑ Joudah, Ghadi (18 October 2023). "Riyadh meeting aims to boost GCC-ASEAN strategic cooperation before Friday's summit". Arab News. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  18. ↑ "President of Philippines Arrives in Riyadh to Participate in GCC-ASEAN Summit". Saudi Press Agency. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  19. ↑ Aben, Ellie (14 February 2024). "Philippines sends first business mission to Saudi Arabia since pandemic". Arab News. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  20. ↑ Aben, Ellie (6 October 2024). "Philippines to send halal trade mission to Saudi Arabia this month". Arab News. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  21. ↑ "17 Filipino hostages in Yemen safe from Israeli strike: PBBM". Archived from the original on 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  22. ↑ "2024 Shari'ah Bar Makes History". Supreme Court of the Philippines. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  23. ↑ Bautista, Jane (3 May 2024). "Supreme Court boosts Shariah integration in Philippine law". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  24. ↑ Hassan, Nadin (15 October 2024). "Saudi Arabia, Philippines ink first energy cooperation agreement". Arab News. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  25. ↑ "Saudi Arabia and Philippines sign energy cooperation agreement". Saudi Gazette. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rommel_Romato&oldid=1364842955"