PH to remain priority of US aid under Trump, says USAID exec

PH to remain priority of US aid under Trump, says USAID exec

Ryan Washburn, mission director of the United States Agency for International Development in the Philippines, leads the launching of the first ever open radio access network (Open Ran) laboratory network in the country located at the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2024. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE US EMBASSY TO THE PHILIPPINES

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will remain a top priority of American foreign aid under the administration of President Donald Trump, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) official said on Wednesday.

Ryan Washburn, mission director of USAID in the Philippines, made this remark amid mounting concerns of potential drastic cuts to US foreign aid under Trump.

READ: Trump 2.0: PH stays optimistic amid worries on aid, health care

Washburn noted the budget of the aid agency is deliberated annually and is subject to changes, but he expressed optimism that “the Philippines will remain a priority for the US government and that means also for USAID.”

“There are always difficult budget environments and a new administration changes budget priorities, but we understand that Asia and the Philippines will remain a priority in the new Trump administration,” Washburn said during the sidelines of the launching of the first ever open radio access network (Open Ran) in Quezon City.

READ: US to allocate $500 million in foreign military financing for PH

The $4 million worth Open Ran laboratory, located at the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, will be fully-operational in May.

Washburn said this is the first USAID Open Ran lab in Asia which seeks to improve 5G connectivity in the country.

This lab will provide hands-on training to current and aspiring 5G professionals, providing an opportunity for vendors and operators deploying Open Ran worldwide to teach and educate local engineers in how to design, build, and operate such networks.

“You know how you have your computer, right? Maybe your computer is a Lenovo but your printer is a Hewlett Packard and your monitor is a Compaq and your mouse is something else,” Washburn explained. “And all of those components work together seamlessly and if your monitor breaks, you get a new monitor. You don’t have to get the whole system.”

“Currently, that’s what Open RAN will allow. That level of different vendors provide different components and they can specialize in that. There’ll be competition in providing a mouse, providing a printer, providing a laptop and that will provide a better system for the consumer and faster and more affordable.”

This project stemmed from outgoing American President Joe Biden, who announced last May 2023, the USAID support for establishing an Open RAN Lab in Manila.

When asked if this project will be guaranteed to be funded in the Trump administration, Washburn said: “Nothing is guaranteed in life. The funding for USAID is year by year. But there’s a congressional commitment to continue to fund this work.”

In November last year, outgoing US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III faced the same question but for the security aid worth $500 million (P29.3 billion).

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/244141/us-to-allocate-500-million-in-foreign-military-financing-for-ph

While refusing to speculate as to what the administration of President-elect Donald Trump would do, Austin noted that he observed a strong bipartisan support for the Philippines.

“I believe that [the Philippines] will remain an important country to us for many, many years in the future,” Austin said in a press conference at Western Command headquarters in Puerto Princesa City on Nov. 19. “And the strength of our alliance, I think, will transcend changes of administration.”

Notably, Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, known as one of the most outspoken senators against Beijing, as the new secretary of state.

Rubio introduced the US-Philippines Partnership Act of 2024, a bill which sought to prop-up support for Manila amid Beijing’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea. This is in line with Manila and Washington’s Mutual Defense Treaty, which calls for each other’s defense in case of an armed attack.

Washburn noted that Rubio will have his confirmation hearing in the US Congress, where he will be quizzed on his stance about such matters.

“I anticipate there will be a number of questions about his views on Asia and the importance of Asia, and our bilateral treaty allies such as the Philippines will be a big part of that,” he said. “My bet is that we’ll see that Asia will remain a priority and the Philippines will remain a priority.”

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