Philippines, New Zealand sign visiting forces agreement

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and New Zealand signed yesterday a defense pact that allows greater military cooperation between the two nations, including joint exercises in each other’s territories.

President Marcos witnessed the signing of the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement between Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins at Malacañang. Marcos called the SOVFA “extremely important.”

“I think it is well recognized that these partnerships have become very important in the face of all that is happening, not only in the region, just our region, but it’s now unfortunately set for the rest of the world,” Marcos told Collins.

“Those partnerships that we have formed… agreements that we have made, bilaterally and on a multilateral basis as well, have been extremely important,” the President added.

Collins, for her part, described the relations between the Philippines and New Zealand as “very strong.”

She also expressed her sympathies to the families and loved ones of victims killed when an SUV crashed into a crowd of revelers at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver, Canada.

“I would like to acknowledge the tragedy in Vancouver, Canada. It’s a terrible tragedy,” she told the President.

“It could not even be categorized as a terrorist concern. Apparently the perpetrator was just mentally disturbed. It wasn’t particularly against Filipinos. I don’t know well... There’s no way to explain it in any kind of logical way. So, thank you for your thoughts and prayers for our casualties,” Marcos said.

In a statement earlier, Collins said the SOVFA “formally sets the legal framework for engagement between our respective militaries, better facilitating ongoing cooperation, activities and exercises in each of our territories.”

The first round of negotiations was hosted by Manila, with Defense Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and Ministry of Defense Head of International Relations Kathleen Pearce leading the Philippine and New Zealand delegations, respectively.

The SOVFA will build upon the 2017 Memorandum of Arrangement between the New Zealand Ministry of Defense, the New Zealand Defense Force and the DND and Armed Forces of the Philippines, formalizing the legal basis for military cooperation.

A commitment to conclude a SOVFA was one of the key outcomes of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s visit to Manila in April 2024.

The new defense accord will have to be ratified by the Senate before it comes into force.

The Philippines has similar defense pacts with the US and Australia, while another defense deal is being pursued with France.

The signing of the SOVFA came a day after Marcos’ meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru at the Palace.

On Tuesday, Ishiba expressed hope the Philippines and Japan “can continuously communicate with each other to oppose attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force or coercion and to realize (a) free and open Indo-Pacific based on rule of law.”