February 26, 2025
MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday welcomed the US decision to exempt the Philippines from the security aid freeze ordered by US President Donald Trump, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) calling it a positive development.
In a Palace press conference, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro tagged the development as “good news.”
“Of course we are happy… So, if we had an exemption and the 500 million dollars foreign financing would be released to us, this is a very big thing and we are grateful for that support,” said Castro.
READ: US to continue military aid for PH despite global pause – DFA
“Let’s remember, this is from the government of former US President Biden and it was also adopted during the time of President Donald Trump. So, it’s nice to receive such good news and the support of the US to us is undeniable,” she added.
According to Castro, the exemption would greatly help the country especially in the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, said that due to this development, some of their projects that are in already the pipeline will push through.
“The unfreezing of the aid to the Philippines by the US government is a very much welcome development. This has been planned in advance so there are already part programs that higher headquarters mapped out for this year and even in the years to come,” Trinidad disclosed in a press briefing on Tuesday.
“And with this particular unfreezing of support by the US government, it only means that our programs that have been initially planned out will push through. This will include activities on sea, air, and land, even our support systems cyber and other areas,” he added.
READ: PH hopes for more US military aid despite global aid freeze – Romualdez
AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad noted that this development “signals basically our longstanding relationship with the US.”
Based on a Reuters report, the Trump administration released $5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, primarily for security and counternarcotics programs.
Among the security exemptions were the $336 million for modernizing Philippine security forces, $870 million for programs in Taiwan, and more than $21.5 million for body armor and armored vehicles for Ukraine’s national police and border guards, the report said
The US aid freeze order halted virtually all foreign aid, except for emergency food programs and military assistance to Israel and Egypt. It was issued on January 20.