PH, US affirm alliance amid US foreign aid review

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed the strong alliance between the Philippines and the US, particularly on development cooperation, during a meeting at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on February 14.

The discussion took place amidst the US administration's 90-day pause and review of foreign development assistance, which included a worldwide "stop-work" order on existing foreign aid and a suspension of new assistance.

DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza confirmed that both secretaries acknowledged the value of their development cooperation work and recognized the ongoing US review of its development agencies.

Secretary Manalo indicated that the Philippines would seek clarification on programs potentially affected by the US foreign aid suspension, especially those managed by USAID.

The DFA maintains optimism that development cooperation between the two nations will continue, as the Philippines values US assistance in crucial sectors like education, global health, and disaster risk reduction.

The article also noted that last year, the US allocated $500 million in foreign military financing (FMF) to the Philippines, bolstering their security and defense collaboration.