THE United States has pledged at least P3 billion ($60 million) in new foreign assistance to the Philippines following a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 21.
The announcement, made by the U.S. Department of State, marks the first major foreign aid package approved under the Trump administration’s foreign assistance review and realignment that began in January.
As part of the package, the U.S. is seeking to work with Congress to allocate approximately P825 million ($15 million) specifically for private sector development in the Luzon Economic Corridor.
The proposed funding aims to support investments in key sectors such as transport, logistics, energy, and semiconductors — areas expected to spur job creation and long-term economic growth in the Philippines.
The aid commitment was one of the outcomes of President Marcos’s series of high-level meetings in Washington, which included talks with US President Donald Trump, Secretary Rubio, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The engagements reaffirmed the “ironclad” U.S.-Philippines alliance and aimed to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation. (PR)