The United States and the Philippines discussed the value of their development cooperation work amid the ongoing US review of foreign aid worldwide.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the subject was tackled during a meeting between Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Feb. 14.

“Both Secretaries discussed the value of our development cooperation work. We also recognize, however, that the new US administration is still in the process of completing the review of the work of various development agencies,” DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a statement on Sunday.

The Trump administration announced on Jan. 20 a 90-day review of its foreign aid worldwide, putting an immediate pause on new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds to foreign countries, except for some programs in Israel and Egypt.

Manalo said in a recent interview that the Philippines has yet to formally clarify what US-funded development projects in the Philippines were affected by the freeze.

On Feb. 13, US District Judge Amir Ali ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift its funding pause on programs that are in existence as of Jan. 19.

The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by nonprofit organizations that get USAID (US Agency for International Development) funding, the Aids Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and Global Health Council.

In the ruling, the federal judge wrote that there is no explanation, at least to date, “for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid, which set off a shockwave and upended reliance interests for thousands of agreements with businesses, nonprofits, and organizations around the country, was a rational precursor to reviewing programs”. (PNA)