The Philippines and the United States have signed a five-year agreement to strengthen disease surveillance and outbreak response while expanding efforts against HIV and tuberculosis.
Signed on July 22, the Health Strategic Objective Agreement aims to improve the country’s capacity to detect infectious diseases early and prevent them from spreading within the Philippines and across borders.
The agreement contains a jointly funded plan of up to ₱42 billion. The Philippine government has committed more than ₱30 billion, while the United States intends to provide more than ₱11.8 billion over five years in coordination with the U.S. Congress.
The funding will support the detection, treatment and prevention of HIV and tuberculosis. It will also improve the country’s systems for disease monitoring, early detection and emergency response.
The two countries also plan to integrate health services across disease programs and strengthen the Philippine government’s ability to finance and manage the health sector.
U.S. Ambassador Lee Lipton signed the agreement during the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Philippines.
The U.S. Embassy said the agreement marked a new phase in more than 60 years of health cooperation between the two countries. It is also part of the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy.
The agreement seeks to strengthen the Philippine health system through joint funding and promote new approaches to controlling infectious diseases that could threaten both Filipinos and Americans.
