PH, France sign pact to expand Manila's defense reach in Indo-Pacific

The proposed visiting forces agreement between the Philippines and France is expected to widen the country’s defense reach in the Indo-Pacific by linking Manila with a European state that also has territories, citizens, and military presence in the region, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. told senators on Thursday.

“France is not only a European country, but it is also a Pacific country because it has territories in the Pacific Ocean – New Caledonia, Tahiti, and the others,” Teodoro said during the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing.

Teodoro said France, as a maritime country, shares the Philippines’ interest in freedom of navigation and in upholding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“They fully support the arbitral award that the Philippines won, and they are an upholder of UNCLOS,” he said.

The PH-France Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) was signed on March 26 in Paris and is the Philippines’ first SOVFA with a European country, expanding Manila’s defense arrangements with key security partners.

The agreement establishes the legal framework for the temporary presence of Philippine and French military personnel in each other’s territory while respecting the sovereignty and laws of both states.

Unlike an arrangement focused only on foreign forces in the Philippines, the SOVFA applies both ways, covering French forces visiting the Philippines and Philippine forces visiting France and, where applicable, French territories covered by the agreement.

Teodoro said the Philippines has “no choice” but to build more defense partnerships as its territory remains under “severe stress” from China’s unilateral and illegal actions.

“We cannot deny the fact that as many coalition partners we have, it adds to our deterrent posture in this country,” he said.

He said France could also help the Philippines strengthen supply-chain resilience, access high-tech defense and cyber capabilities, and prepare for hybrid and asymmetric threats.

Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Edgar Badajos said the DFA fully supports Senate concurrence in the proposed SOVFA, calling it a key part of the country’s independent foreign policy.

“This agreement is a clear expression of our strategic autonomy and a demonstration of our independent foreign policy,” Badajos said.

He added that the pact should not be viewed as choosing sides in big-power rivalries, but as a way for the Philippines to diversify partnerships, deepen European engagement in regional stability, and give substance to international law.

The agreement would translate foreign policy into concrete benefits for Filipinos by helping ensure safer seas for fisherfolk, secure maritime routes for overseas Filipinos, and long-term peace and stability, Badajos said.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, chairperson of the committee, said the agreement reflects the country’s effort to broaden cooperation with European partners beyond trade and tourism.

“We’re trying to increase our focus, not just on our traditional allies like the United States, Japan, or our friends in the region, but also to our European partners,” Zubiri said.

Zubiri said the proposed SOVFA also complements growing Philippines-European Union engagement, including efforts toward a free trade agreement.

Teodoro said defense cooperation with France and other partners may also help protect Filipino seafarers in high-risk maritime areas such as the Persian Gulf.

He said the Philippines is also in the second round of negotiations for a similar arrangement with the United Kingdom.

Senator Erwin Tulfo said the Senate must carefully examine the pact’s provisions on the status and treatment of visiting military personnel, jurisdiction, legal responsibilities, environmental protection, and the terms governing their presence and activities in Philippine territory.

“This Agreement deserves the same careful scrutiny accorded to every international undertaking brought before this Committee,” Tulfo said.

Under the proposed SOVFA, the two countries would set rules on entry and exit, jurisdiction, custody, discipline, claims, taxation, and other legal and administrative arrangements affecting visiting personnel. It would also facilitate joint exercises, training, capacity-building, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and other mutually agreed defense activities.