PH NGOs worried after USAID places global staff on leave

Several non-government organizations in the country relying on the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are worried about their future after the latter placed its staff worldwide on administrative leave starting February 7.

According to Sandra Aguinaldo’s report in "24 Oras" on Thursday, 39 NGOs and projects are benefitting from USAID’s P4 billion funding.

Among the NGOs affected is IDEALS, an organization of lawyers helping human rights victims and extrajudicial killings.

“We have a number of lawyers who are being supported by this project. Of course, dahil matitigil yung suporta, mahihirapan din kaming ituloy yung program,” said Edgardo Ligon, IDEALS, Inc. Executive Director.

If the USAID fully stops its operations, the operations of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in the Philippines would also be affected and might impact the curbing of the spread of HIV in the country.

“Decrease in uptake of HIV services can have a long and serious consequence, which could make the transmission much faster,” he said. “More people will be infected and more people dying of AIDS.”

The recent development in USAID will also affect organizations supporting women and gender rights.

A statement on its website said USAID personnel assigned to mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs are exempt from administrative leave.

“Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00 pm (EST),” the statement read.

For those deployed outside the US, USAID said it is preparing a plan to arrange and pay for their return to the country within 30 days.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier announced that he is now the acting director of USAID and the agency must align with the “America First” movement, which seeks to put priority on the US government before the other countries. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/BAP, GMA Integrated News