PH-US Bilateral Relations
Overview of Philippines – United States of America Bilateral Relations
I. Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
The Philippines and the United States have an enduring alliance that is based on deep historical and cultural ties. The Philippines gained its independence from the United States on July 4, 1946, and diplomatic relations were formally established the same day.
II. Highlights of the Philippines-United States Bilateral Relations
TRADE (in USD billion)
|
YEAR |
TOTAL |
EXPORTS |
IMPORTS |
BALANCE |
|
2012 |
14.54 |
7.42 |
7.12 |
0.29 |
|
2013 |
14.51 |
7.82 |
6.69 |
1.13 |
|
2014 |
14.40 |
8.66 |
5.74 |
2.92 |
|
2015 |
16.49 |
9.02 |
7.47 |
1.55 |
|
2016 |
15.82 |
8.66 |
7.16 |
1.5 |
|
2017 (Jan-July) |
9.35 |
5.38 |
3.97 |
1.41 |
The US is PHL's biggest trading partner in 2016 (out of 226 trading partners), the 2nd biggest market for PHL's exports (out of 213 export markets and almost 16% of total PHL exports), and 3rd largest investor into the PHL. Over the past five years, US foreign investment in the PHL amounted to PHP165.93 billion.
For 2015, a major portion of the export revenue came from Electronic Products valued at USD2.84 billion, followed by Transports with total receipts of USD1.02 billion or 32.25% and 11.69%, respectively, of the total exports to US. The bulk of merchandise imports from US comprised of Electronic Products worth USD3.64 billion or 50.45% of the total imports. Fresh food was the second highest imported foods from the US, with USD687.94 million, or a share of 9.53% of the total imports from the US.
|
Top 5 Exports |
Value (USD million) |
Top 5 Imports |
Value (USD million) |
|
Electronics |
2,847.32 |
Electronics |
3,640.18 |
|
Transport |
1,028.99 |
Fresh food |
687.94 |
|
Garment/ Textile |
979.26 |
Pet food/ animal feeds |
561.51 |
|
Electricals |
847.81 |
Processed food |
433.33 |
|
Oils/fats/waxes |
556.37 |
Chemicals |
369.26 |
IPA-APPROVED INVESTMENTS
|
YEAR |
in PHP billion |
in USD billion |
|
2011 |
79.85 |
1.84 |
|
2012 |
40.00 |
0.95 |
|
2013 |
55.34 |
1.30 |
|
2014 |
17.42 |
0.42 |
|
2015 |
21.74 |
0.47 |
|
2016 |
31.43 |
0.63 |
|
2017 (Q1) |
2.43 |
0.05 |
Investment opportunities include IT-BPO (animation and game development); food and design driven processed products; manufacturing (electronics, food/agribusiness, aerospace, and consumer products), and infrastructure.
OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
- A total of USD1,218.53 million in active grants as of 30 June 2016
- The US is PHL’s largest source of grants (no loans) among all development partners (bilateral and multilateral). The US is fourth in overall ODA assistance to PHL.
FILIPINOS IN THE UNITED STATES
- As of December 2016, there are 3,627,536 Filipinos in the US
- A total of USD5.35 billion in Overseas Filipinos’ cash remittances from January to July 2017, a 7.1% growth from same period of 2016.
TOURIST ARRIVALS FROM THE US
|
YEAR |
VISITOR ARRIVAL |
|
2011 |
624,527 |
|
2012 |
652,626 |
|
2013 |
674,564 |
|
2014 |
722,750 |
|
2015 |
779,217 |
|
2016 |
869,463 |
|
2017 (Jan-May) |
83,056 |
In 2016, the US supplied the 2nd biggest inbound arrival with 869,463 visitors constituting 14.57% of the total and recording an 11.6% increase vis-à-vis its arrivals of 779,217 in 2015.
US HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
- Typhoon Yolanda: USD 143 million
- Typhoon Glenda: USD 150,000.00
- Community Resilience to Flood Fund: USD 2.5M