PH eyes visiting forces deal with South Korea

The Philippines is planning to have a visiting forces agreement (VFA) with South Korea, Manila's military and defense officials said Friday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. reported the development in his speech during the closing ceremony of Balikatan Exercise 2025 between Manila and Washington.

"We have also already signed the status of visiting forces agreement (SOVFA) with New Zealand, and very soon with Canada, with France, and hopefully with South Korea," Brawner said.

In an ambush interview, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the Philippines will start taking steps for the VFA after the elections in South Korea on June 3.

"Mag-uumpisa kaming mag-scoping at titingnan natin pagkatapos ng kanilang halalan kung ano ang mangyayari. Ngayon wala pa, hinihintay pa natin na matapos ang kanilang halalan," Teodoro said.

"We will start scoping and we will see after their elections what will happen. Right now, nothing, we are still waiting for their election to be over," Teodoro said.

For Teodoro, the possible VFA is important because the Philippines has interoperability with South Korea. Aside from this, some of Manila's military assets come from Seoul, he added.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution prohibits foreign troops from establishing permanent military bases in the country. Through agreements like the VFA, foreign militaries may be allowed to enter the countries for activities.

The Philippines and the United States have a VFA that became effective in 1999 and now serves a legal framework that allows US forces to visit Manila temporarily for military exercises and give humanitarian and disaster-response assistance.

Manila had a similar deal with Australia that was signed in 2007.

On April 30 this year, the Philippines and New Zealand also signed their SOVFA.

The Philippines in the past years has expanded maritime and defense security cooperation with other countries amid the tensions with China in the West Philippines Sea.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country's claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has repeatedly refused to recognize the decision. — VDV, GMA Integrated News