Media Note

Office of the U.S. Department of State Spokesperson

Press Statement

Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

In the wake of Typhoon Kalmaegi’s (Tino’s) devastation, the United States is augmenting the Philippine-led response efforts. Through the delivery of emergency shelter, logistics services, and safe water and sanitation, the United States is supporting communities hardest hit by the storm, many of which are still recovering from successive storms and the Cebu Earthquake in September.

The United States and the Philippines are not only ironclad allies—we are friends and partners bound by a shared history, common values, and a steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. As millions of Filipinos face the challenges left by these disasters, including the loss of family and loved ones, our rapid response stands as a testament to the depth and resilience of our enduring ties, especially in times of crisis. The United States is committed to supporting Philippine-led efforts, working together to save lives, alleviate suffering, and help communities recover from these disasters. To this end, the United States will provide $1 million in immediate life-saving assistance.

With another severe storm forecast to impact the Philippines in the coming days, U.S. disaster assistance will remain closely coordinated with the Government of the Philippines and local organizations to ensure timely and effective relief for those most in need.

Manila, July 23, 2025—Following U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Washington, D.C., on July 21, the U.S. Department of State announced at least Php3 billion ($60 million) in foreign assistance funding to support energy, maritime, and economic growth programs in the Philippines.

This is the U.S. 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.

As part of this at least Php3-billion initiative, Secretary Rubio also announced that the U.S. Department of State intends to work with the U.S. Congress to allocate Php825 million ($15 million) to catalyze private sector development in the Luzon Economic Corridor. If approved, this funding will support investments in the areas of transport, logistics, energy, and semiconductors that will help create jobs and drive economic growth in the country.

President Marcos’s meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Washington, D.C., this week reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Philippines Alliance and advanced closer economic ties between the two nations.

Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

President Joseph R. Biden met today at the White House with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines. The two Presidents welcomed the unprecedented momentum in U.S.-Philippines relations and reviewed new initiatives to enhance economic and energy security; bolster maritime cooperation; invest in critical infrastructure; reinforce their shared commitment to promote democracy, human rights, and labor rights; and deepen people-to-people ties.  Full text

Fact Sheet: Celebrating the Strength of the U.S.-Philippines Alliance

President Joseph R. Biden and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored the historic achievements in bilateral relations since they last met at the White House in May 2023.  President Biden and President Marcos intend to continue the momentous investments into the special friendship between our two nations.  Full text

Like most countries, the Philippines was heavily affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Families were forced to deal with economic losses and disruption of their children’s education.  

Filipinos were quick to organize and adapt to the pandemic, with local groups, many of them youth-led, stepping up to address the different challenges the pandemic caused for Filipino communities.

Last August 6, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Philippines and led the handover of U.S. government-donated medical supplies, laboratory equipment, testing and hygiene kits for local hospitals and medical facilities. 

During his visit, Secretary Blinken also met with representatives from eight civil society organizations (CSO) to learn how these groups are making a difference for Filipinos who have been impacted by the pandemic.

Find out more about these CSOs here: 

#1 AGREA Foundation

AGREA Foundation Associate Director Christine Jodloman shares information about her organization’s programs with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  The AGREA Foundation is the non-profit arm of the AGREA Agricultural System, which assists farmers and fishermen through education, community development, and leadership programs. 

Filipino farmers faced great difficulty transporting their products due to the logistical issues caused by the pandemic. The AGREA Foundation’s Move Food Initiative enabled 28,000 farmers in the Philippines find sustainable markets for their produce. 

#2 Kapit-Pinas 

Kapit-Pinas Co-convenor Patrick Manuel highlights the total assistance provided by the Pantawid COVID Project. Kapit-Pinas is a youth-led community convened by youth-led non-government organization Millennials PH.  They worked closely with Filipino alumni of the U.S. Department of State program Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative to implement the project. 

The Pantawid COVID Project is a crowdfunding initiative led by Filipino youth. The project raised more than $120,000 in donations to help 12,000 lower-income families and 1,500 medical frontliners during the pandemic. 

#3 Millennials PH 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens to Millennials PH National President Meryl Hilda Jalani as she describes her organization and its achievements. Millennials PH has over 50,000 members in 145 cities and municipalities across the Philippines.

Millennials PH is a youth-led non-government organization (NGO) in the Philippines that specializes in organizing large movements for various causes. In 2020, they built Kapit-Mindanao, which mobilized more than 300 youth organizations to aid 20 communities in Mindanao that were severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

#4 Break the Fake Movement 

Gabriel Billones Jr. is the co-founder and Chief Organizer of the Break the Fake Movement. Break the Fake uses technology to engage the youth in the fight against disinformation. 

Another damaging effect of the pandemic is the growing spread of disinformation online. The Break the Fake Movement combats disinformation and increases the number of responsible digital citizens. The NGO has partnered with the U.S. Embassy in the implementation of the “Media Civics Lab” project, which offers media and information training for elected youth officials. 

#5 Love Education Philippines

Love Education Philippines co-founder and Executive Director Inah Salazar met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to the Philippines. Love Education Philippines is an organization dedicated to helping Filipino children learn how to read or improve their reading and comprehension skills in both Filipino and English.

Volunteers from Love Education Philippines were able to reach nearly 5,400 children during the pandemic through their “Reading Buddies Library” initiative, a volunteer-driven program that promotes reading and love of reading to young learners.

#6 AdaptPH 

AdaptPH LGU kit lead Eunice Dela Cruz Tan described to Secretary of State Antony Blinken how their downloadable information kits help different sectors of Philippine society adopt and normalize habits which help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

AdaptPH is helping Filipino communities to adjust to life during the pandemic through the distribution of toolkits that are designed for the new normal. Their current toolkit series, which is supported by the U.S. government, is specifically aimed at helping five stakeholders in Philippine society (local government units, micro, small, and medium enterprises, public markets, schools, and public utility vehicles) to gradually adopt measures that reduce the transmission of the virus.  

#7 SPARK! Philippines 

SPARK! Philippines Executive Director Maica Teves with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson. SPARK! Philippines focuses on women empowerment and greater interconnectivity and collaboration with other women’s groups and organizations in the Philippines.

SPARK! Philippines gave much-needed assistance to women in vulnerable communities such as women in shelters and single mothers during the pandemic by distributing hygiene kits and sanitary products. 

#8 Yellow Boat of Hope (YBH) Foundation 

Dr. Anton Mari Lim, President of the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, presenting to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Yellow Boat of Hope (YBH) Foundation has launched numerous educational initiatives during the pandemic. YBH’s “Hope in a Box” project provided educational materials to more than 2,000 Filipino children in the provinces. Educators also received support from YBH, from helping teachers adapt to distance learning and preparing for the return to face-to-face classes. 

The United States has been a steadfast and reliable partner in the Philippines’ fight against COVID-19. As of August, the American people have donated more than 33 million safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and provided more than $50 million in assistance to support the country’s response against the pandemic. 

Read more about U.S. COVID-19 assistance to the Philippines here: https://ph.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-u-s-covid-19-assistance-to-the-philippines/ 

USTDA Director Enoh T. Ebong (seated left) and Aboitiz Renewables, Inc. Vice President David Aboitiz (seated right) sign a USTDA grant that will lay the groundwork for one of the first offshore wind projects in the Philippines. Standing from left: U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, and Department of Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella.

Manila, August 9, 2022—On August 6, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the United States’ clean energy commitments to the Philippines at an expo featuring small- and medium-sized renewable energy companies.

Citing the Philippines’ increasing vulnerability to the dangerous effects of climate change, Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of investing in clean energy and lauded the projects of six renewable energy companies specializing in biomass, hydropower, solar, wind, energy efficiency, and off-grid solutions.   

“Last year, the Philippines announced an ambitious clean energy goal: to produce 35 percent of the nation’s energy from renewable sources by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.  The United States commends these goals, and we’re committed to helping the Philippines achieve them,” Secretary Blinken said in his remarks. 

Secretary Blinken, alongside Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, also witnessed the signing of a grant awarded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to Aboitiz Renewables, Inc. for a feasibility study to develop one of the first offshore wind projects in the Philippines.  This project is expected to produce up to three gigawatts of clean energy, providing power to more than two million households. 

“USTDA is committed to delivering game-changing projects to close the infrastructure gap and support the clean energy transition in the Philippines,” said USTDA Director Enoh T. Ebong.  “Our assistance will be critical toward defining the wind projects’ technical and design options, as well as structuring deals for international financial institutions.  Our goal is the delivery of clean energy to millions of Filipinos.” 

“The United States remains a steadfast partner and supporter of emerging economies like the Philippines in facilitating job creation and building of a high quality and environment friendly energy infrastructures that support initiatives aimed at mitigating the impact of climate change,” said Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez. 

In his remarks, Secretary Blinken cited several projects aimed at supporting energy security in the Philippines.  This includes the United States Agency for International Development’s Energy Secure Philippines Initiative, a 5-year project worth $34 million (Php 1.89 billion) that aims to mobilize more than $750 million (Php 41.8 billion) of private-sector investment to support up to 500 megawatts of new clean energy generation.  He also noted the Clean Energy Demand Initiative and U.S.-Philippines Memorandum of Understanding on Civil-Nuclear Cooperation signed in March 2022 and announced ongoing capacity building assistance to help the Philippines explore nuclear energy options through the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program. 

The Philippines is an initial partner of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a group of 13 countries across the region that are committed to promoting clean energy and decarbonization as a key pillar of a stronger, fairer, and more resilient economy.  Secretary Blinken recognized the contributions of several public-private partnerships with the Philippines under the IPEF’s Clean Energy, Decarbonization, and Infrastructure Pillar, which includes the Clean Energy Demand Initiative, the Geothermal Development Initiative, and the Energy Resource Governance Initiative that will strengthen mining sector governance for resilient mineral supply chains. 

Manila, August 8, 2022—U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the United States’ support for the Philippines’ COVID-19 response during a turnover of medical equipment and supplies in Manila on August 6.

“As the Philippines continues to work to vaccinate people, to reduce the spread and save lives, my message is simple:  The United States is with you,” Secretary Blinken said.  “We will end this pandemic and emerge better prepared for future health crises by working together not only across governments, but across private sectors and across civil society.” 

During his first visit to the Philippines as U.S. Secretary of State, Secretary Blinken led the handover of U.S. government-donated personal protective equipment, testing kits, laboratory equipment and supplies, and hygiene kits in the presence of U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, and Manila City Mayor Dr. Honey Lacuna.  This donation is expected to support the efforts of local medical facilities such as the Philippine Genome Center and the Bulacan Medical Center. 

Secretary Blinken noted that the United States has unconditionally donated more than 33 million safe, effective vaccines to the Philippines and has provided more than $50 million to help train Filipino healthcare workers, boost the vaccine rollout, and support the country’s economic recovery. 

“We thank the U.S. government for helping the Philippines respond to COVID-19 and protecting Filipinos with the much-needed vaccines and technical assistance.  Your support helped save the lives of many Filipinos,” said Dr. Vergeire.  “We cherish this long-standing health partnership, and we hope this level of commitment is sustained beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

On the sidelines of the handover ceremony, Secretary Blinken visited a pediatric vaccination site of the Manila City government at the Manila Zoo and inspected mobile jeepney vaccine clinics supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to encourage children’s vaccination and support the safe reopening of face-to-face classes.  

Secretary Blinken also met eight civil society organizations with notable initiatives assisting communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The group included Love Education Philippines and the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation which have launched projects to increase children’s access to education during the pandemic and the AGREA Foundation whose “Move Food” Initiative has helped more than 28,000 farmers bring their produce to markets across the Philippines. 

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the United States government, through USAID, has helped train healthcare workers, establish quarantine facilities, enhance contact tracing, bolster laboratory surveillance, improve public health communication, enhance vaccine rollouts, and support economic recovery efforts.  

The United States is the largest donor to the COVAX facility, the global mechanism for pooled procurement and distribution of COVID vaccines, and has contributed $4 billion to fund equitable vaccine access globally.  By the end of 2023, COVAX will have provided enough vaccines to fully vaccinate one in every three Filipinos.  More information on U.S. COVID-19 assistance to the Philippines is available through this fact sheet: https://ph.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-u-s-covid-19-assistance-to-the-philippines/   

(Read the joint statement on state.gov)

The following is the joint statement released by the Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Ministers of the Governments of Australia, India, and Japan.

Begin Text.

We, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan and the Secretary of State of the United States met in Melbourne, Australia on 11 February 2022, for the fourth Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. In meeting, we reaffirm the Quad’s commitment to supporting Indo Pacific countries’ efforts to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific – a region which is inclusive and resilient, and in which states strive to protect the interests of their people, free from coercion.

Our meeting advanced the Quad’s positive and ambitious agenda. We are focused on working closely with Indo-Pacific partners to address the region’s most important challenges. Working together as the Quad, we are more effective in delivering practical support to the region.

As unwavering supporters of ASEAN unity and centrality, and the ASEAN-led architecture, we continue to support ASEAN partners to advance the practical implementation of ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. The Outlook’s principles are fundamental to regional stability and prosperity and will be key to guiding the region’s economic and political future. We acknowledge the importance of sub-regional mechanisms and institutions, including in the Mekong sub-region. We will continue to support Cambodia in its important role as 2022 ASEAN Chair.

As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Quad partners have collectively provided more than 500 million vaccine doses. Together, we have pledged to donate more than 1.3 billion vaccine doses globally. We are pleased with the Quad Vaccine Partnership’s rapid progress in expanding vaccine production at the Biological E Ltd facility in India, which aims to deliver at least 1 billion vaccines by the end of 2022. We look forward to the delivery of the first batch of Quad-supported vaccines in the first half of this year. We are assisting to train healthcare workers, combat vaccine hesitancy and augment infrastructure, especially cold chain systems, for ‘last mile’ vaccine delivery. We are working to identify and address vaccine gaps and barriers exacerbated by gender, disability and social inequities, and ensure safe, effective, affordable and quality-assured vaccination coverage in hard-to-reach areas. We welcome the timely initiative for coordinating the response to combat the COVID pandemic under a Global Action Plan for Enhanced Engagement.

We welcome progress on the practical cooperation we lead as Quad Foreign Ministers to address regional challenges, including humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), maritime security, counter-terrorism, countering disinformation and cyber security.

We are strengthening HADR cooperation in the region. Since 2004, when we collaborated in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, Quad partners have continued to respond quickly and effectively to natural disasters in the Indo-Pacific. We recognise that recent natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the need to build and maintain resilience against such events, and are proud to be supporting our Tongan partners in their response and recovery efforts following the January 2022 volcano eruption and tsunami. We commit to further strengthening our collaboration and building links between our response agencies to provide timely and effective HADR support to the region.

The Quad recognises that international law, peace, and security in the maritime domain underpins the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. We reiterate the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South and East China Seas. We are determined to deepen engagement with regional partners, including through capacity-building and technical assistance, to strengthen maritime domain awareness; protect their ability to develop offshore resources, consistent with UNCLOS; ensure freedom of navigation and overflight; combat challenges, such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and promote the safety and security of sea lines of communication.

The Quad is exchanging information on ever-evolving threats and working with Indo-Pacific countries, and in multilateral fora, to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism. We denounce the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism and urge countries to work together to eliminate terrorist safe havens; disrupt terrorist networks and the infrastructure and financial channels which sustain them; and halt cross-border movement of terrorists. In this context, we call on all countries to ensure that territory under their control is not used to launch terror attacks and to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of such attacks. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks in India, including 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks. We reaffirm UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any country, shelter or train terrorists, or plan or finance terrorist acts, with such ungoverned spaces being a direct threat to the safety and security of the Indo-Pacific.

The Quad is supporting regional neighbours to build resilience and counter disinformation. We will also coordinate efforts to assist partners across the Indo-Pacific to address the growing threat of ransomware, by strengthening capacity building to ensure resilient cyber security and to counter cybercrime. We are committed to promoting international peace and stability in cyberspace, and to helping build the capacity of regional countries to implement the UN Voluntary Framework for Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace.

Quad partners champion the free, open, and inclusive rules-based order, rooted in international law, that protects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of regional countries. We reaffirm our commitment to upholding and strengthening the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core. We oppose coercive economic policies and practices that run counter to this system and will work collectively to foster global economic resilience against such actions.

We express our commitment to strengthen our diplomatic efforts so that the vision for technologies, guided by the Quad Principles on Technology Design, Development, Governance, and Use, will be further shared by all like-minded nations.

Reflecting Quad leaders’ commitment to cooperate to establish responsible and resilient clean-energy supply chains, we welcome Australia’s proposal to host an Indo-Pacific Clean Energy Supply Chain Forum in mid-2022.

We reaffirm our belief that our people-to-people ties are among the Quad’s greatest strengths and welcomed the United States’ new exchange programs in the fields of cyber security, maritime security, countering disinformation, and promoting transparency in governance. We are exploring a track 1.5 dialogue between our respective strategic thinkers.

Alongside our Quad Foreign Ministers’ agenda, we welcome other ongoing work in delivering Quad Leaders’ ambitious initiatives in key areas, such as the Quad Vaccine Partnership, climate change, cyber security, infrastructure, and the peaceful use of outer space, education, and critical and emerging technologies.

We remain gravely concerned about the crisis in Myanmar and call for an end to violence, the release of all those arbitrarily detained, including foreigners, and unhindered humanitarian access. We reaffirm our support for ASEAN efforts to seek a solution in Myanmar and call on the military regime to urgently implement ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and swiftly return Myanmar to the path of democracy. We encourage the international community to work together to support an end to the violence.

We condemn North Korea’s destabilising ballistic missile launches in violation of UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea consistent with UNSCRs, and reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the issue of Japanese abductees.

We look forward to Japan hosting the next Quad Leaders’ Summit in the first half of 2022.

We will continue to meet annually to deliver as a force for good for the region.

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