DFA closely monitoring possible freezing of US assistance —PCO

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is closely monitoring reports regarding the possible freeze of United States foreign assistance, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Saturday.

This was after the US State Department issued a "stop-work" order on Friday for all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid, according to a cable seen by Reuters, after President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause to review if aid allocation was aligned with his foreign policy.

''The DFA is closely monitoring reports on the possible freeze of US foreign assistance and will work with partners in the US Department of State and the US government to determine how this will affect the Philippines,'' the PCO said in a statement.

The foreign aid pause which is effective immediately applies to both new and existing assistance, Reuters reported, citing the US State Department memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday.

The memo said senior officials "shall ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance" until Rubio has made a decision after a review, Reuters reported.

The US is the largest single donor of aid globally. In fiscal year 2023, it disbursed $72 billion in assistance.

Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the US on Monday (early Tuesday, Philippines time), completing a comeback after losing his reelection bid in 2020 to Joe Biden.

After Trump's inauguration, DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and Rubio discussed on Wednesday the importance of the alliance between Manila and Washington.

“We discussed the importance of the PH-US alliance for the prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific, and the strength of our bilateral political, economic, and people-to-people ties,” Manalo said on X (formerly Twitter). 

“We look forward to working with Secretary Rubio and his team towards addressing challenges and sustaining the momentum and positive trajectory in our bilateral relations.” 

In a separate statement, the DFA said Manalo and Rubio had also ''agreed to explore a first meeting between Presidents Marcos and Trump in the near future.'' —KG/VBL, GMA Integrated News