Fil-Ams split in the coming US election

BABE'S EYE VIEW FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.

- AMBASSADOR B. ROMUALDEZ

There are clear indications that many Filipino Americans around the United States are split on who they will vote for in the coming US election. I suppose it only follows what most indicative polls say that it will be a toss-up between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.

I was in Cleveland, Ohio upon the invitation of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA) president, Ambassador Heather Hodges, to speak before the Cleveland Committee on Foreign Relations on the topic of "regional security in Southeast Asia." I'm told Ohio has a vibrant Filipino American community coming from the medical profession.

A member of the World Affairs Council of America, the CCWA is a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1923 whose mission is to raise awareness on foreign affairs and promote global understanding through international exchanges, student initiatives, public diplomacy programs and speaker programs where think tank and academic experts, government officials, as well as current and former diplomats are invited to explore timely international topics.

The CCWA "brings the world to Cleveland," in a manner of speaking, through the many engagements it arranges with key officials and individuals on relevant global issues such as the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East. I was therefore very happy to engage with key figures and thought leaders present and "bring the Philippines" to Cleveland, especially during the fireside chat that followed my speech.