DFA monitoring US freeze on foreign aid

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is monitoring a 90-day freeze on US foreign assistance worldwide, announced by US President Donald Trump.

A "stop-work" order was issued by the US State Department, pausing new aid and halting work on existing assistance pending a review to determine alignment with the Trump administration's foreign policy.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez assured that Filipinos need not worry about the suspension, as it is only for review.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan stated that the Philippines will be "not so much directly" affected by the freeze, as much of the country's current loans are with other countries and multilateral institutions.

Balisacan added that many of the Philippines' infrastructure flagship projects are funded by Japan, Korea, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the World Bank.

The DFA will continue to engage the US government on this matter, with DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and US State Department Secretary Marco Rubio underscoring the importance of the PH-US alliance and committing to strengthen security, economic, and regional cooperation.

The DFA understands that the US Department of State and other relevant agencies are studying the executive order and its impact on US partnerships.