Philippine Senate Ratifies France Troop Pact, a First With Europe
Senators vote 17-0 to back the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, making France the first European nation with such a defense pact with Manila.
MANILA — The Philippine Senate on October 8 concurred in the ratification of a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with France, making France the first European country to hold such a defense pact with Manila.
Senate Resolution No. 650 passed with 17 votes in favor and no votes against or abstentions, GMA News reported. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and French Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin signed the agreement in March, according to Rappler. France’s newly designated ambassador to the Philippines, Donatienne Hissard, received the resolution at the Senate.
What the pact covers
The agreement is reciprocal. It sets the legal framework for the presence and activities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the French Armed Forces, including their civilian components, in each other’s territory. It covers joint defense activities, military training, humanitarian operations and other mutually agreed missions.
According to GMA News, the pact aims to improve readiness and interoperability “by facilitating the timely movement of personnel and resources and strengthening their capacity to coordinate and respond to security challenges, crises, and emergencies.”
The 1987 Philippine Constitution bars foreign troops from establishing permanent bases in the country. Visiting forces agreements instead provide a legal basis for temporary deployments for activities both governments approve.
Manila’s widening defense network
France joins the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada and New Zealand among countries with defense access arrangements with the Philippines, GMA reported. The US Visiting Forces Agreement took effect in 1999, and New Zealand signed its SOVFA in April 2025.
“This is a historic moment because this treaty ratification of our visiting forces with France is the first for a European nation,” said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, who authored the resolution. “As political conflicts continue to divide the world, it becomes more important that we form stronger alliances and ties with like-minded democracies such as France.” He noted that the two countries will mark 80 years of diplomatic relations next year.
Why Manila wants France
The Department of National Defense welcomed the vote and pointed to France’s stance on maritime law. “As a maritime power, it is a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and has consistently articulated support for and recognition of the 2016 Arbitral Award,” the department said, referring to the South China Sea arbitration ruling. It added that France’s defense industry could help the Philippines strengthen its defense supply chains.
Expanding defense ties has been a deliberate policy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration in the face of what Rappler called “a growingly belligerent China in the South China Sea.” At the same time, Marcos has said he wants a “reset” of relations with Beijing after years of tension at sea and in diplomacy.
What it means
Analysis: Ratification gives French forces a legal basis to train and operate in the Philippines, and Philippine forces the same in France. For Manila, it adds a European partner to a defense network built largely around the United States and regional allies, and shows Manila pursuing new security partners alongside its stated reset with Beijing.
Sources
- Rappler: Senate ratifies Philippines-France visiting forces agreement
- GMA News: Senate ratifies Philippines-France visiting forces agreement
