Dachelle Maligaya

CBET-01-603E

REACTION PAPER : United States Countryside Develop Aid to Philippines

Duterte was enraged after a U.S. government aid agency deferred a

vote on a renewal of a major development assistance package for the
Philippines over concerns about extrajudicial killings in Duterte's war on
illegal drugs, which has left thousands dead. Although no decision on the
aid package has been taken, Duterte launched an expletives-laden tirade,
telling the U.S. to "prepare to leave the Philippines, prepare for the eventual
repeal or the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement. The U.S.
decision is among the first signs of how concerns about the rule of law and
human rights under Duterte could entail economic costs.

The Philippines received a total of $994,901 in disbursed aid from the

United States government in 2017, a decrease of 7,632% from the last
reported total in 2016 ($76.9M).The aid the Philippines received is
significantly higher than average for all countries in East Asia and the
Pacific (avg. $423,839) and higher than average for all countries in the
world (avg. $518,030). This amount equates to about $0.01 per person
based on the Philippines's total population of 101M.

The cutting out of development aid from the United States will
economically affect the Philippines On the other hand our current
president Rodrigo Duterte, however, is supportive of a foreign policy that is
less dependent on the United States, favoring one that prioritizes
closer relations with China instead. So this is one way of alternative to
reduce risk of having a significant effect on our economy since China will
provide significant financial assistance to the Philippines. Moreover,
Philippines should not be so dependent to other country.