MANILA, Philippines — The United States Embassy in the Philippines announced Thursday that the U.S. government is providing an additional P298 million to help support the Philippines in its fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
This brings the total amount of assistance to the country from the U.S. to more than P768 million, the embassy said in a statement.
“This latest assistance builds on our long-standing relationships with local government units across the Philippines, and represents our continued commitment to our Filipino friends, partners, and allies in this time of crisis,” said U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim.
As part of this assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development will partner with 18 local governments in some of the country’s hardest-hit areas to promote effective crisis management and implement response plans, according to the embassy.
“Funding will support local governments to rapidly disburse emergency funding and supplies, and strengthen the capacity of local crisis response centers to disseminate accurate and timely crisis response information, manage quarantine measures, set up public handwashing facilities, ensure food supply, and support local business recovery,” the embassy added.
The new assistance also includes P44 million from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration for the International Committee of the Red Cross to support COVID-19 response in the Philippines.
The embassy said among these COVID-19 responses to be supported are increasing stocks of essential medical supplies and expanding hospital capacity, preventing the spread of disease in detention centers, and supporting resilience for vulnerable people and communities.
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