00:00The Philippines should not be held accountable for the suspension of US President Donald Trump
00:04for issuing their foreign assistance.
00:07In an interview with Super Radio DZBB,
00:09Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said
00:12that they thought it was just a temporary measure.
00:15He said that the suspension was only implemented so that the United States
00:19can issue money for other countries.
00:22Romualdez also believes that the alliance between the Philippines and the United States will not change,
00:27especially since the presence of the US in the Indo-Pacific region is mutually beneficial.
00:34According to the Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega,
00:38they will continue to consult with US officials
00:41to discuss the effects of the suspension of foreign assistance in the Philippines.
00:48Economically, we have a lot of partners.
00:50And while the US involvement in our economy as a trading partner is still very high,
00:56I think even with the freeze,
01:02it's not like it's going to severely affect us.
01:04The importance of our relations are the people-to-people ties
01:08and certainly the mutual defense region.
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