Sherman: Heads of state have diplomatic immunity, are welcome in US

Heads of state—such as the President of the Philippines—are freely able to enter the United States, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Thursday.

“When someone is head of state, they have [diplomatic] immunity and would be welcome in the United States,” Sherman told reporters, according to GMA News' JP Soriano.

Sherman made the statement in response to the question whether President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will be allowed to go to the US, amid a contempt judgment that has prevented him from entering the country for years.

To recall, the contempt of court order was issued against Marcos due to his refusal to cooperate with the District Court of Hawaii, which in 1995 ordered the Marcos family to pay $2 billion in plundered wealth to victims of the administration of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

His camp ignored a question posed by a reporter asking how Marcos would deal with the contempt order.

Sherman earlier paid a courtesy call on Marcos, where she said they discussed economy, human rights, and a free Indo-Pacific region. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA News