PH, NZ closer to signing deal on visiting forces

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and New Zealand concluded negotiations on Feb. 18 for a visiting forces agreement, a pact allowing their military forces to hold exercises on each other’s soil, the Department of National Defense (DND) said on Thursday.

In a statement, the DND said the final negotiating round for the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) was hosted by New Zealand via a hybrid arrangement.

The talks were concluded less than a month after the first round was held last Jan. 23 in Manila.

“After finalizing the text of the agreement, both sides expressed optimism toward the signing of the Agreement in the second quarter of 2025,” the DND said.

In a joint statement in January, the DND and the New Zealand embassy in Manila said a visiting forces deal would deepen the overall defense and military cooperation between the two countries.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. told reporters early this month that the agreement was important for both countries’ initiative “to resist China’s unilateral narrative to change international law.”

‘Strong political commitment’

Teodoro was referring to Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea despite a 2016 arbitral ruling, invalidating its sweeping claims in the resource-rich waterway.

“The VFA with New Zealand will be very important for us for that purpose, and secondly, for disaster risk reduction purposes and humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” he said.

New Zealand’s ambassador to the Philippines, Catherine McIntosh, also told reporters this month that Wellington has a “strong political commitment” to seal the deal with Manila.

The Philippines has a SOVFA with Australia, a Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, and a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan.

In July last year, the Philippines and Japan signed the RAA, a historic pact that allows the two allies and former wartime enemies to deploy troops to each other’s territory.

 

(2025/02/21-05:46)