PH not included in US visa suspension list - envoy

The Philippines is not part of the Trump administration's reported list of countries where it is suspending the processing of visas to the United States, Manila's envoy to Washington said on Thursday.

"Philippines is not included," Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez told GMA News Online in a text message.

The Philippines is America's oldest treaty ally in Asia. 

A Fox News report quoted by Reuters said the US State Department will pause all visa processing for visitors from 75 countries starting January 21.

Citing a memo from the State Department, the report said Somalia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, and Thailand were among those on the list.

US President Donald Trump last November ordered a sweeping review of asylum cases and green cards or permanent residence permits granted to foreigners after an Afghan national killed a National Guard member in Washington, D.C.

U.S. embassies, the report said, were directed by the State Department "to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses its procedures."

Since returning to the White House, Trump has been toughly enforcing immigration laws and ordering the mass deportation of illegal migrants, one of his top campaign promises.

Washington's outgoing envoy to Manila, MaryKay Carlson, during her farewell reception Wednesday evening, meanwhile, highlighted the strong and "enduring" bond between the US and the Philippines.

"People-to-people ties are what form the basis of our enduring bond, the enduring bond between our two nations. There are over 1.3 million US citizens who have visited the Philippines in 2024 alone, deepening the connections of family, friendship, and shared history," Carlson said.

She also cited "remarkable milestones" in the two allies' relations, particularly in times of crisis, where both nations stood side by side after natural disasters.

Further, she said the US sees the Philippines "as a place to trade, invest, innovative, and grow," adding a trilateral initiative with Japan to develop the Luzon Economic Corridor," a US-envisioned growth region in Asia, is expected to increase trade and achieve transportation, energy and logistics efficiency across the country.

The embassy in Manila, she said, also established a new foreign assistance section, administering over $313 million to strengthen energy resilience, combat, illegal fishing, improve health outcomes and private sector growth in the Philippines. 

"These efforts are building a brighter, more prosperous future for Filipinos and Americans," Carlson said.

With over 500 combined joint military activities she oversaw during her more than three-year term in the country, Carlson said she is confident that the US and the Philippines will continue to stand "shoulder to shoulder to safeguard a free and open Indo-Pacific together."

"We have defended international law in the South China Sea and upholding the rights of the Filipino fisherfolk. Our alliance is truly ironclad, and our shared commitment has never been stronger," Carlson said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News