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DFA mum on US aid freeze, affirms value of development ties

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the United States' ongoing review of all foreign assistance programs, with Secretary Enrique Manalo opting to affirm instead the value of development cooperation between the two countries.

Manalo said the Philippines valued its development cooperation work with the United States, "especially in critical areas like education, global health, and disaster risk reduction or response," according to a news release by the Presidential Communications Office on Wednesday, February 5.

"That said, we will not comment on the internal discussions of the US Government regarding their ongoing review of the work of various agencies, including USAID," Manalo said.

The DFA chief said US-funded projects "have positively impacted the lives of many Filipinos and their communities.

Manalo added that the Philippines looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the US government "to achieve mutually shared development objectives."

The United States Embassy in Manila has declined to comment on the matter.

The DFA's statement comes weeks after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on January 24 ordered an immediate halt to nearly all foreign assistance by the US government, with aid to Israel and Egypt exempted. 

The aid freeze pauses all new obligations and disbursements of foreign aid pending reviews within 90 days of the order.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has since issued stop-work orders, including for programs based in the Philippines.

Philstar.com's analysis of publicly available data on US foreign assistance in the Philippines shows that there are at least 39 active programs funded by USAID and the US State Department with completion dates after January 2025, when the Trump administration issued the order. 

RELATED: Trump's aid freeze suspends at least P4B of Philippines programs

At least P4 billion was poured into these programs last year, based on the obligations — or funding commitments — listed in the database. 

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