Senior DFA official says freeze temporary, won’t impact on EDCA
The United States’ freeze order on foreign aid is not expected to “severely affect” the Philippines, a senior Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said on Saturday.
The US State Department issued a “stop-work” order on January 24 (Washington time) for all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid for 90 days pending a review of efficiencies and consistency with President Donald Trump’s recently announced foreign policy directions.
Only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt were to continue, according to a memo issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The US is one of the Philippines’ top donors of the Official Development Assistance, contributing around USD147.7 million in 2023.
Last year, the US pledged an additional US$500 million in military aid to the Philippines during the visit to Manila of Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinklen.
“There is the regular aid that they provide. We’re still talking to the Americans about that. I can’t give the exact data about that, but freezing is not a permanent freeze,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega said in a news forum.
“Now, the reason why Egypt and Israel are always exempted from that is because of the Middle East situation — because it’s very important that those two countries maintain the peace,” he added.
De Vega also clarified that the financial support allocated for EDCA sites is distinct from other aid programs, ensuring its continuity regardless of broader funding decisions.
“It’s not part of that aid package that we’re talking about. They will not suddenly abandon the EDCA sites,” he said.
“They know the importance of EDCA for both the US and the Philippines,” De Vega added.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is consulting with the US State Department to evaluate its potential impact on the Philippines.
In a statement, the PCO said the DFA is communicating with relevant US agencies to gather more details about the situation.
“The DFA is working with partners in the US Department of State and the US government to determine how this will affect the Philippines,” the statement read.
The Philippines is a longstanding ally of the United States, with the latter remaining one of the country’s largest sources of foreign assistance. Washington has provided significant aid to the Philippines over the years, including funding programs in areas such as disaster response, education, and public health.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “DFA: EDCA funding unaffected by US aid freeze.”