1 day Ago By Bea Cupin
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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and New Zealand on Wednesday, April 30, signed an agreement that would pave the way for the militaries of both countries to train on each other’s soil.Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
and New Zealand Minister of Defense Judith Collins signed the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) in Malacañang Wednesday morning, following a courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and New Zealand Ambassador to Manila Catherine McIntosh also witnessed the signing of the agreement. Negotiations for the SOVFA concluded in mid-February 2025 or less than a month after formal negotiations began on January 23.
Informal dialogues began last year.Once ratified by the Philippine Senate, the deal would allow the militaries of the two countries to work closer. A SOVFA makes it easier to deploy troops to each others’ countries, typically for training activities and joint military exercises.
Ahead of her trip to Manila, Collins said New Zealand is “committed to reinvigorating our security relationships, to playing our part, and working with regional partners such as the Philippines to uphold the international rules-based order.”In September 2024, New Zealand joined Australia, Japan, and the United States in a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity or a joint maritime exercise in the West Philippine Sea. With the signing of the SOVFA, the Philippines now has signed military agreements with four countries.
The first was with the United States, in the Visiting Forces Agreement or VFA which took effect in 1999. Balikatan 2025, which started in late April and runs up until early May 2025, is the flagship bilateral military exercise between the US and the Philippines.Manila also has a SOVFA with Canberra.
It signed in July 2024 a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), a deal similar to a VFA or SOVFA, with Japan. The RAA has been ratified by the Philippine Senate and awaits approval from the Japan Diet.The Philippines also recently concluded negotiations with Canada for a SOVFA, which is expected to be signed by mid-2025.
Paris has also proposed a similar agreement with Manila. Under Marcos, the Philippines has sought to forge closer political and defense ties with partners old and new, particularly in the face of a China that has become more aggressive in imposing its claim on most of the South China Sea. — Rappler.
com.
