Manila: The United States government has allocated approximately PHP3 billion (USD60 million) in foreign assistance to the Philippines, marking the first such announcement to any country since the US paused most of its foreign aid commitments in January.

According to Philippines News Agency, the US Embassy in Manila confirmed on Wednesday that the funding, coursed through the US Department of State, will support programs in energy, maritime security, and economic growth in the Philippines.

The aid announcement follows a meeting between President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC on July 21.

The embassy stated, "This is the US government's first announcement of new foreign assistance for any country since the Trump Administration began its review and realignment of foreign assistance in January."

The State Department revealed its intention to collaborate with the US Congress to allocate PHP825 million (USD15 million) of the total funding to catalyze private sector development in the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC).

If approved, this funding would support investments in transport, logistics, energy, and semiconductors in Luzon.

In April 2024, the Philippines, the US, and Japan launched the LEC to promote development in Luzon, with the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) Cargo Railway as its flagship project.

Under the LEC initiative, the three countries are committed to accelerating coordinated investments in high-impact infrastructure projects, which include port modernization, clean energy, semiconductor supply chains and deployments, agribusiness, and civilian port upgrades at Subic Bay.

The embassy noted that Marcos' meetings with US President Donald Trump, Rubio, and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Washington, DC this week "reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to the US-Philippines Alliance and advanced closer economic ties between the two nations."