US wants assurance that aid to PH won't fall to corruption

Amid allegations of massive corruption in the country's infrastructure development projects, a visiting official from the United States underscored the need to ensure that its foreign aid to the Philippines will be spent with integrity.

- By RAYMUND ANTONIO

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian & Pacific Affairs Jonathan Fritz said, in a recent media roundtable hosted by the US Embassy in Manila, that while the US will continue its assistance to the Philippines despite recent revelations, they will take on the responsibility of ensuring the funds are being well-spent.

"One thing that President Trump very clearly had elaborated during the electoral campaign was he wanted to make sure that US taxpayer dollars were being spent effectively, fair enough, and part of the transition to a new, more focused Foreign Assistance Program, not just in the Philippines, but around the world," he said.