West PH Sea: UK visiting forces pact seen as clear support for PH claim

ANOTHER SOVFA. Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. receives Minister of State for Defense in the House of Lords, Lord Vernon Coaker, during his visit at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City Tuesday (Sept. 16, 2025). In the meeting, Lord Coaker presented Teodoro with a letter from The Rt. Hon. John Healey MP, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, conveying their intent to enter into a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of the DND)

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Wednesday welcomed the United Kingdom’s (UK) intention to forge a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Manila, calling it a clear show of support for the country’s position in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. confirmed London’s offer in a letter from the British defense minister, which he described as “a very welcome development.”

“It will be the second European country that we will be negotiating a SOVFA (Status of Visiting Forces Agreement) with,” Teodoro told reporters in Malacañang.

READ: West PH Sea: AFP vows to continue 24/7 patrols off Bajo de Masinloc

“Underlying that SOVFA is the full support (of UK), not only for the UNCLOS, for international law, but full support the arbitral award,” he added, referring to the 2016 arbitral ruling that upheld the Philippines’ claim in the WPS and invalidated China’s expansive claim in the South China Sea.

“That is the clearest expression that a country might have to support our claim in the West Philippine Sea,” Teodoro said.

If pursued, the UK would be the second European nation to establish such a framework with the Philippines, following France, which initiated talks on a similar pact earlier this year.

The Defense chief said the next step is for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to authorize negotiations.

The UK is also keen on joining multilateral maritime exercises in the region.

READ: DFA files ‘unequivocal’ protest vs China’s nature reserve in West PH Sea

“They’re very interested, of course, in multilateral maritime exercises. We can learn a lot with the way how they operate,” he added.

A SOVFA is a type of defense treaty that lays down the legal framework for the presence of foreign troops in the Philippines during joint exercises, training, or other activities.

It defines issues such as entry and exit, jurisdiction over visiting forces, taxation, and criminal liability.

The Philippines already has a long-standing Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, which allows American troops to rotate into the country for exercises and humanitarian missions. Manila also has similar treaties with Australia and Japan, while negotiations are also ongoing with New Zealand and Canada. /dl