We are thankful to our friends in both Houses of the US Congress and in the Executive Branch for their faith in the government of the Philippines as demonstrated in the strong military funding currently appropriated to the Philippines in the 2008 Foreign Military Funding bill. We share mutual determination to bring peace and solidarity in Mindanao and to strengthen US-Philippines security relations.

US funding has been crucial to the many successes that the Philippines has achieved against terrorism. This is funding that has been central to uprooting terrorism by bringing in basic infrastructure, healthcare and education to affected areas. This is funding that has allowed our partnership with the United States to break new ground in making our country and our region safer from the threat of terror. This is funding that has saved lives and that has brought renewed hopes of lasting peace and meaningful progress to thousands.

Unfortunately, several Philippine groups have tried to stop US funding for reasons of political expediency. This did not happen despite their best efforts. In fact, in the US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, no cut was made to the Foreign Military Funding for the Philippines. And in the US Senate Committee on Appropriations, no cut was made either. Instead, the Committee proposed an almost three-fold increase to the Foreign Military Funding for the Philippines – from $11,100,000 proposed by the Executive Department to $30,000,000. This is also a provision for an additional $2,000,000 subject to the confirmation of the State Department that: 1) we are implementing the recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, which we have largely done; and 2) that the Philippine military is not engaging in acts of intimidation or violence against members of legal, civic and religious organizations who advocate human rights.

We see this provision as a sincere desire to help and further encourage the Philippines to address the issue of politically-motivated killings. We assure the members of the US Congress that the Philippine government acknowledges their concern and see this as a sincere desire to help us address the issue.

Finally, the Senate Committee on Appropriations also increased our Economic Support Fund from $26,000,000 to $30,000,000 and urged the Executive Branch to request for more once there is a peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Reference: Vice-Consul Gines Gallaga , Press & Information Officer, Email: ggallaga@cox.net <mailto:ggallaga@cox.net> Tel: 202-467-9389 Or Erik Lorenzana, Email: rppress@verizon.net mailto:rppress@verizon.net , Tel: 202-467-9432