Senate ratifies visiting forces deals with Canada, New Zealand

The Senate has concurred with the ratification of the Philippines' Status of Visiting Forces Agreements (SOVFA) with Canada and New Zealand.

Senate Resolution No. 548 under Committee Report No. 72 has been approved for the SOVFA with Canada, while Senate Resolution No. 549 under Committee Report No. 73 has been approved for New Zealand.

Both resolutions were approved with a vote of 19-0-0.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of National Defense (DND) welcomed the development.

“The Senate's unanimous concurrence is a testament to the significance of these agreements, which will substantially enhance our interoperability, joint training, and practical cooperation between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and our Canadian and New Zealand counterparts,” the DND said.

For the DND, Canada and New Zealand have been reliable partners in upholding the rules-based international order, cognizant of the shared security challenges that demand regional and extra-regional action.

“We reiterate our commitment to forging strong convergences with like-minded nations which share our unwavering commitment to a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific, alongside building a self-reliant and credible deterrent posture to protect our national territory, secure our maritime entitlements, and ensure lasting regional stability,” the DND said.

“Together with our partners, we will continue to resist unilateral actions and expansionist ambitions seeking to reshape international law,” it added.

These pacts are also expected to help community resilience through humanitarian assistance and disaster response, according to the DND.

SOVFA is a bilateral defense agreement that establishes the legal framework for cooperative activities between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and foreign military forces while operating in each other's territory.

The deals are expected to facilitate joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response operations. —VAL, GMA News