Manila ‘will consider’ joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’: Philippine envoy to US

The Philippines “will consider” an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join his proposed “Board of Peace”, Manila’s envoy to Washington said, a move that has drawn scepticism from critics who warn Manila could be embarrassed by signing up to what they see as a volatile, personality-driven initiative.Trump had personally invited President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to be part of the board, but the Philippine leader had not yet decided whether to accept, Jose Manuel Romualdez said.While several governments had received invitations earlier, Romualdez told This Week in Asia in an exclusive interview on Friday that “the White House gave me [Trump’s] letter … about a week and a half ago” with precise instructions “to hand it directly to President Marcos”.He managed to hand it over to Marcos only on Friday, the ambassador said, adding that he had seen the contents of the letter. Marcos has not officially replied yet.Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr waves after delivering his keynote speech at the Apec CEO summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31, 2025. Photo: APFrom what he knew about the “Board of Peace”, it was created by Trump “to be able to reconstruct and redo the entire Gaza Strip”, Romualdez said. “He formed this and he chose the number of heads of state that he wanted to invite. President Marcos was one of them.”