A new milestone in U.S.-Philippine Health Cooperation

MANILA – On July 22, the United States and the Philippines signed a five-year Health Strategic Objective Agreement.  The Agreement contains a jointly funded plan for up to PHP 42 billion ($685 million) to improve and sustain the capacity to detect, treat, and prevent HIV and tuberculosis (TB), and strengthen global health security.

For over 60 years, the United States has provided health assistance in the Philippines, which has saved lives and improved the Filipino health system.  This Agreement marks a new, five-year phase of bilateral cooperation and joint investment with the Philippine Department of Health.

The Agreement recognizes the significant co-investment from the Government of the Philippines, which has committed to investing more than PHP 30 billion ($492 million) in their health systems over the next five years.

The United States Government, working with the U.S. Congress, intends to provide more than PHP 11.8 billion ($193 million) over the five-year life of the Agreement to advance shared global health goals, fight the spread of infectious diseases before they spread internationally, and build greater autonomy and self-reliance in its health systems.

The timing of U.S. Ambassador Lee Lipton’s signature on the Agreement, alongside Secretary Rubio’s visit to the Philippines, is a milestone in the Trump Administration’s America First Global Health Strategy.

The Agreement will save American and Filipino lives, increase the resiliency of the Philippine health system through coordinated co-funding, and promote innovations to slow the spread of infectious diseases, like TB and HIV, that threaten both the United States and the Philippines.

The Agreement focuses on strengthening disease surveillance, detection, and outbreak response; integrating health service delivery across disease programs; and strengthening domestic capacity to finance and manage the health sector.