United States lifts restrictions on Philippines military aid

MANILA, Philippines - The United States government has lifted restrictions on its military assistance to the Philippines, but the $15 million it withheld for the past five years is not retroactive.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said the removal of the “withholding element” on US aid was due to the improvement in the human rights situation in the Philippines, including the arrest of retired major general and former congressman Jovito Palparan.

Palparan, arrested by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila in August 2014, is accused of executing suspected members of the New People’s Army and being involved in the disappearances of activist Jonas Burgos and University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño.

The US Congress had withheld $3 million in yearly foreign military financing to the Philippines because of the government’s failure to solve and prosecute cases of unexplained killings in past years.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said that this year, the Philippines would get $3 million, but not the military assistance withheld for the five past years.

However, US Assistant Secretary for Defense David Shear said on Wednesday at a press conference after the Fifth Philippines-United States Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Manila that the US is giving the Philippines a total of $40 million in military assistance for 2015.

“We will do anything we can to help the Philippines make the best use of our assistance,” Shear said.

He said the US would coordinate with the Department of Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US Pacific Command to strengthen and broaden cooperation between the two countries.