MANILA – Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel Romualdez, expressed confidence that Washington will maintain its humanitarian assistance to the Philippines, particularly in health and education, after exempting security aid from its freeze on foreign assistance.
Romualdez believes the US values its development aid to the Philippines, a key regional partner. “Health and education aid remain important to them, and we’re working on ensuring these programs continue,” he said in a radio interview.
He added that he’s confident the US will grant waivers for these programs as part of its “soft power” influence on allied nations.
During a recent meeting at the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reassured Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo that most of these programs are expected to continue.
“We’ve already submitted our position to the State Department. Secretary Rubio mentioned that these programs will most likely be continued,” Romualdez said. “They’re just conducting audits and want to ensure that assistance goes to trusted allies.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Philippines was notified that part of its foreign military financing had been exempted from the 90-day pause on foreign aid imposed by the Trump administration.
Romualdez also confirmed that at least USD 336 million in security aid was granted a waiver.
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