Development Finance Corporation — financing records for the Subic Bay "AI-native industrial park": closed without a search (FOIA 26-045)
What we asked for: Any investment commitment, term sheet, memorandum of understanding, or investment-committee decision record of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) about the "AI-native industrial park" or regulatory zone near Subic Bay, Philippines, dated from January 1, 2025 on.
What we got: The request was closed without a search, so no records came back and DFC never said whether any exist. DFC said the request did not describe the records clearly enough. Its July 29 acknowledgment letter said it could not tell whether "near Subic Bay" meant the body of water, the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, or the town of Subic, and could not tell which projects the request meant. It asked for clarification by August 3. The August 28 letter says no reply was received, so DFC closed the request.
Next steps: DFC says a new request can be filed. An appeal can be sent to DFC's Deputy General Counsel within 90 days of the August 28 letter.
Fee waiver / faster processing: The July 29 letter put off deciding the fee waiver until the request was clarified.
View the letter Download PDF, 2 pages