House Speaker Martin Romualdez neither confirmed nor denied making a donation to Harvard University, stating that he was respecting the institution’s gift policy. Romualdez, the leader of the House of Representatives in the Philippines, responded to speculation about his alleged donation in a statement on Sunday, Sept. 17. He cited Harvard’s policy of not discussing individual gifts and stood by that principle.
Romualdez had visited Harvard in April for a speaking engagement. He emphasized the significance of Harvard introducing a Filipino language course, calling it a remarkable acknowledgment of Filipino culture and heritage on a global platform. Romualdez referred to the statement by Jose Marco C. ‘Marcky’ Antonio II, co-president of the Harvard Undergraduate Philippine Forum, who focused on celebrating this achievement.
The House Speaker urged Filipinos to embrace this moment of pride and unity for their country and language. Harvard University, founded in 1636 as Harvard College, recently introduced a Tagalog course among its academic offerings. Romualdez expressed great national pride in the teaching of Tagalog at Harvard, highlighting the university’s reputation as one of the top academic institutions in the world. Tagalog is the main dialect on which the Filipino language is based and is reportedly the fourth most spoken language in the US, home to around 4.2 million Filipino Americans.
