3 months ago
14
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
February 24, 2025 | 3:37pm
Philippines and US soldiers salute in front of their national flags while their national anthems are played during the opening ceremony of the 'Balikatan' joint military exercise at the military headquarters in Quezon City, suburban Manila on April 11, 2023.
AFP / Ted Aljibe
MANILA, Philippines — The United States has exempted a part of its military assistance to the Philippines from its broader suspension of all foreign aid, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed Monday, February 24.
In a statement, the DFA said it has been notified of the Trump administration's waiver for a "portion" of the US' military funding to the Philippines to be exempted from the aid freeze.
"The Philippines has been informed of the waiver issued to a portion of the US foreign military financing for the Philippines," the DFA said.
The department did not disclose the exact amount that the US government exempted.
The exemption is part of a broader reversal of US President Donald Trump’s initial sweeping freeze on all foreign aid, which he imposed shortly after taking office on January 20. The 90-day pause halted funding for various programs, from humanitarian assistance to military aid, prompting pushback from US officials and allied nations seeking exemptions for critical development initiatives.
A Reuters report over the weekend revealed that the Philippines was among a handful of countries granted exemptions. The US specifically exempted $336 million that it allocated for modernizing the Philippines' security forces.
Other waivers included $870 million for security programs in Taiwan and more than $21.5 million for body armor and armored vehicles for Ukraine’s national police and border guards, according to the Reuters report.
The DFA said the Philippines and the US remain committed to their treaty alliance "and to efforts to further strengthen our defense cooperation and interoperability."
"We will continue to engage the US government on the importance of our bilateral work in supporting our shared goals and priorities," the department added.
US-Philippine defense ties hit a new high under Marcos after the US gained access to four additional military sites in 2023 under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). These bases in Palawan and Northern Luzon put American forces within reach of potential hotspots – Palawan faces the South China Sea while Northern Luzon sits near Taiwan.
These EDCA sites allow U.S. troops to rotate through Philippine bases and store military equipment – a strategic arrangement that Pentagon officials see as vital in enhancing the US' defense posture in the region and countering China's growing assertiveness.
An earlier Philstar.com report found that Trump's aid freeze has suspended at least 39 USAID- and State Department-funded programs that were promised P4 billion in funding last year. Among the affected programs include at least three education projects that the Department of Education says were supposed to run beyond February 2025.
DepEd said it is already looking for alternative sources of funding for the affected programs.
