US to pour P13.8 billion into Philippine health programs
MANILA, Philippines — The United States government announced P13.8 billion ($250 million) in new foreign assistance for the Philippines on Friday, September 12, to strengthen the country's health systems and improve its ability to detect and respond to diseases.
The funding, to be implemented by the US Embassy’s foreign assistance section, will support what Washington has identified as its priority areas for health programs in the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific region: tuberculosis control, maternal and child health, and global health security, among others.
It will specifically support "key initiatives such as supply chain management, data and information systems, and laboratory strengthening" in the Philippines, according to a statement by the US embassy.
US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said the funding "underscores the United States’ unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of the Filipino people."
This new assistance package brings the total recently announced US foreign aid for the Philippines to more than P17 billion ($313 million).
The announcement follows an earlier commitment of P3 billion ($63 million) in aid that the US said would mainly support the resilience of the energy sector, combat illegal fishing, and develop the Luzon Economic Corridor.
This initial P3 billion in foreign aid was the first new assistance announced by the US since it overhauled its foreign assistance programs and priorities under the second Trump administration, which started in January.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the funding in July after meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Washington, D.C.
A senior US State Department official, Jonathan Fritz, said on a visit to Manila in early September that the Philippines was the "first recipient" of new assistance funding under the realigned US aid policy. Fritz added that the country would "continue to be one of our closest partners in this space going forward."
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