Overview
- Defense chiefs Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and David McGuinty signed the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement in Manila following a bilateral meeting.
- The pact establishes the legal terms for temporary troop visits, weapons carriage, joint exercises, and capacity-building to improve interoperability.
- Reuters reports it is Canada’s first visiting-forces deal in the Indo-Pacific and the fifth such accord concluded by Manila with partners.
- The agreement builds on prior cooperation, including Philippine access to Canada’s satellite-based Dark Vessel Detection System to track vessels that disable transponders.
- Philippine officials present the move as part of a networked strategy to help deter coercive actions in the South China Sea, with talks progressing on similar arrangements with France, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Germany, and India.