MANILA -- The dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development is set to affect 5 USAID-Department of Education development projects worth P4 billion, including one that helps K-3 learners improve their reading abilities.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Roger Masapol said the $94.02 million basic education projects funded by USAID include the ABC+ or Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines project, which gives decodable and leveled reader materials in the mother tongues of Regions V (Bicol), VI (Western Visayas), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the Philippines for Grades 1 to 3.

Masapol said the ABC+ project was finished in 2024 but granted an extension from 2025-2026.

“Target nito ‘yung fixing the foundation. Target nito ‘yung K to 3 learners para maayos ‘yung mga reading program ng DepEd,” he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

Another program affected by the USAID closure is Opportunity 2.0, which supports alternative learning systems in the Philippines to provide second-chance education to 180,000 out-of-school youth across 15 cities. Masapol said Opportunity 2.0 had US$37.5 million IN USAID support.  

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Other projects affected by the USAID closure are Gabay (US$2.77 million), a program for learners with disabilities; ILO PH (US$5 million), which provides policy support to the DepEd; and Urban Connect (US$1.25 million), which focuses on economic development and governance. 

Masapol noted that of the 5 projects, 2 are on the policy level while the rest focus on specific projects in specific locations.

He said the loss of foreign assistance from USAID would affect the timelines of the projects.

“Lahat ng suporta na ibinibigay ng partners natin including USAID, naka-map dun sa priorities natin. Ibig sabihin, pagnag-hold itong mga intervention na funded ng US government may effect siya dun sa speed ng process ng pa-achieve ng reform process ng DepEd,” he said.

The education official said DepEd will continue to seek funding for the projects even without USAID help.

“Critical ‘yung mga output sa reform agenda ni Sec. [Sonny] Angara. Hahanapan ng paraan. Halimbawa may continuing funds kami, titingnan kung kayang ituloy ‘yung iba na critical sa mga programa,” he said.

Elon Musk, the world's richest person and President Donald Trump's controversial close advisor, announced Monday the giant USAID humanitarian agency will be "shutting down" as part of his radical -- and critics say unconstitutional -- drive to shrink the US government.

Employees at the US Agency for International Development, which runs aid programs in about 120 countries, were instructed by email not to go to their offices Monday. Some 600 staffers found themselves locked out of their computer systems, ABC News reported.

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Musk called USAID "a criminal organization" and declared "you've got to basically get rid of the whole thing."

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USAID, an independent agency established by an act of Congress, manages a budget of $42.8 billion meant for humanitarian relief and development assistance around the world. With Agence France-Presse