Suspending US aid to Philippine military, police 'very wild suggestion' —Palace

Malacañang on Thursday expressed confidence that the US government recognizes the importance of its security alliance with the Philippines following a proposal to suspend American aid to the Philippine military and police over human rights concerns.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Philippines will not interfere with the domestic processes in the US even though he described the bill filed by Pennsylvania Representative Susan Wild as a “very wild suggestion.”

“Hindi natin pinanghihimasukan ‘yung mga desisyon ng mga soberenyang bansa,” Roque said in a televised briefing.

“Kung gusto nilang gawin, gawin nila ‘yan pero kampante nga tayo sa tingin ko kinikilala naman ng Estados Unidos ang halaga ng Pilipinas sa pagiging partner niya pagdating din sa mga usaping national security ng Estados Unidos mismo.”

Roque also cited the "close ties" between President Rodrigo Duterte and US President Donald Trump.

According to Wild, the bill sought to block US funding for security assistance to the Philippines until human rights conditions are met. Wild condemned the passage of the Philippines’ Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 which she saw as an attack against activists and political dissenters.

“Hayaan na po natin gumulong ang proseso sa Estados Unidos pero iisa lang po ‘yan out of ilang hundreds of congressmen and women ang nasa US Congress,” Roque said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said if approved, it will not only be a loss to the Philippines but also to the US considering that “a major part of the security assistance being extended to the Philippines is used to combat terrorism.”

"And since the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is still existing, they may have to resolve that as a legal issue in their deliberations," said Lacson, chairperson of the Senate committee on national defense.

The Philippines in June suspended for six months the abrogation of the VFA, which governs the presence of US soldiers conducting military exercises in the country.

Manila’s Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez had said that the country's decision to temporarily suspend the termination had been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and developments in the disputed South China Sea. —KBK, GMA News