Changes in the United States aid policy have thrown countries into uncertainty. A U.S. court overturned a 90-day freeze on foreign assistance, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The freeze, implemented by President Donald Trump as part of his “America First” policy, was meant to review foreign aid spending but faced backlash for disrupting global health programs.
Since 2020, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contributed PHP 2 billion (approximately $34.7 million) to the Philippines’ HIV response through the PEPFAR. Despite the temporary freeze, the Department of Health (DOH) stated that government HIV/AIDS programs were not significantly affected.
Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo noted that most funding comes from the Philippine government, with foreign aid making up only a small portion of the total budget.
This year, the Global Fund and USAID allocated PHP 830 million to the Philippines for health services, which accounts for only a fraction of the PHP 7.74 billion total budget. Domingo emphasized that DOH remains the largest funder, contributing PHP 6.2 billion.
The Philippines relies on both domestic and international funding for its HIV/AIDS programs. Domestic funding covers 94% of expenditures, mainly through the national HIV program and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), while international donors provide the remaining 6%. However, this funding covers only 40% of the financial requirements.
To address this, the DOH has developed a co-financing plan for 2024-2026, which requires PHP 45.6 billion—a funding gap of PHP 22.4 billion remains. The Global Fund has allocated $25 million in its current cycle to support HIV/AIDS initiatives in the country.
As of December 2024, the DOH projected that the total number of HIV cases in the Philippines would reach 215,400 by year-end. From July to September 2024 alone, 4,595 confirmed HIV-positive individuals were reported, with 28% diagnosed at an advanced stage. The DOH epidemiology bureau also reported that the country was recording 58 new HIV cases per day in the second quarter of 2024.
On February 14, a U.S. court ruling reversed the aid freeze, allowing the resumption of foreign health funding, including critical HIV/AIDS programs.
