The United States and the Philippines remain aligned with development cooperation even as Washington reviews its worldwide foreign assistance policy, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said Sunday.
According to Daza, the topic was discussed in a bilateral meeting between DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on 14 February.
“Both secretaries discussed the value of our development cooperation work. We also recognize, however, that the new US administration is still in the process of completing the review of the work of various development agencies,” Daza said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump earlier ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance, pending a review of its efficiency and consistency with his administration’s foreign policy.
The US State Department had issued a “stop-work” order for all existing foreign aid and suspended new foreign assistance worldwide.
Last year, the US announced its allocation of $500 million in foreign military financing (FMF) to the Philippines, which contributed to enhancing Manila-Washington security relations and defense collaboration.
In a previous interview, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez said, “there’s nothing to worry about” regarding Washington’s temporary suspension of American foreign aid to Manila.
He noted that the recent dialogue between Manalo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured the continuation of the Manila-Washington alliance.
“Our alliance will continue. Whatever we’re doing, we will continue it, especially in the military aspect. So, in my opinion, we don’t need to have a problem with that because, as I said, it’s mutually beneficial. It’s not a one-way street. It’s good for both our countries,” Romualdez said.
Meanwhile, Manalo earlier said the Philippines has not yet formally clarified which US-funded development projects in the country are affected by the freeze.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said all military engagements with the US “will continue” and all planned activities “remain uninterrupted,” including the annual Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercise scheduled for April.