Philippines, Canada Sign Visiting Forces Agreement

On Nov. 2 in Manila, the Philippines and Canada signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA), signed by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty, to allow their armed forces to train on each other’s soil. It is Canada’s first SOVFA in the Indo‑Pacific and the Philippines’ fifth visiting‑forces‑style deal, expanding Manila’s security network alongside the United States, Japan, Australia and other partners. Officials said the pact will streamline legal and logistical arrangements for temporary deployments, facilitate joint readiness drills and humanitarian responses, and bolster coordination to uphold a rules‑based international order. The move is part of broader Western efforts to strengthen deterrence amid Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, where China has rejected the 2016 arbitration ruling and criticized multinational drills. The agreement builds on existing cooperation, including use of Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection System to counter illegal fishing, and will take effect after ratification.