By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – The Philippines will continue receiving United States’ support on health security, specifically on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, under the Trump administration, a senior Department of State official said Thursday.
At a media roundtable in Manila, State Department Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Fritz confirmed that health remains a priority under Washington, DC’s realigned foreign assistance to the Philippines.
“We expect to continue to focus on the health sector as one of the key areas where we will be a very reliable and forward-leaning assistance partner with the Philippines going forward,” Fritz said.
Although he did not disclose specifics, Fritz explained that the US Embassy’s Foreign Assistance section would spearhead the development and rollout of programs covering disaster readiness, health security, and disease prevention, including HIV and tuberculosis.
The assurance followed despite US President Donald Trump’s earlier order pausing foreign aid, including the distribution of drugs for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis.
In July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced at least PHP3 billion (USD60 million) in foreign assistance funding for the Philippines.
The package will support energy, maritime, and economic growth initiatives, particularly the development of the Luzon Economic Corridor, making the Philippines the first country to receive new aid since the administration began its aid review.
However, the announcement did not explicitly mention health-related assistance.
“Far from it, I think. I think the message that we want to convey to our Filipino friends is you guys were the first recipient of new assistance funding, and I think that sort of set a mark, and the Philippines will continue to be one of our closest partners in this space going forward,” he said.
Fritz emphasized that this initial allocation would not be the “last assistance dollars” the Philippines would receive from the US.
“The United States has transformed our approach to foreign assistance by taking what was USAID and incorporating it into the State Department to achieve a closer alignment between US delivery of foreign assistance and our foreign policy and national security objectives,” he said.
“The Philippines, as a key US ally in the Indo Pacific, is at the forefront of this realignment.” (PNA)
