towards Kenneth Christian L. Basilio, Reporting
The Philippines and Canada on Sunday signed a military agreement that will allow their forces to set foot on each other’s territory, with Ottawa including support for the South China Sea and Attane.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, JR. and Canadian Defense Minister David Joseph McGuinty signed the status of military agreement (Sovfa) in Manila, making Canada the fifth country to sign an access document with the Philippines.
Both sides clashed over legal provisions allowing Philippine and Canadian forces to enter each other’s territories in March this year, with the Canadian government explaining its defense reinforcements.
Renewal of the Senate is required for the treaty to take effect in the Philippines, while treaties in Canada are binding without formal parliamentary approval.
“This is Canada’s first such agreement in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Mr. McGuinty at a delegation meeting before the signing of the agreement. “This was a deliberate choice.”
Ottawa also sponsored Manila’s stake in the South China Sea, one of the most contested waters in the world, where tensions between the Philippines and China continue for minutes over disputed claims.
Beijing continues to assert its sovereignty over the energy-rich waters despite the 2016 decision of the United Nations by a court supported by the invading nations that presented its claims.
“Peace is built through rules, not apathy; and resilience grows through cooperation, not conflict,” said Mr. McGuinty, “said Mr. McGuinty,” said Mr. McGuinty, at a joint press conference after the SOVFA media signing. “The Philippines has shown true leadership in supporting international law and seeking peaceful resolution of conflicts.”
The Southeast Asian nation has stepped up efforts to push back against China’s maritime preoccupation by expanding its web of alliances beyond the US, its longtime ally. It has created agreements for visiting festivals with Australia, and recently, New Zealand, and a similar agreement with Japan.
The signing of the SOVFA also comes on the heels of Defense Secretary Peter Brian Hegseth’s Defense Security Council meeting last week, where he said Washington would gain the ability to acquire capabilities for waterways.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the Joint Task Force will enhance joint military planning, operational cooperation and enforcement cooperation with Philippine forces, the report said.
Mr. Teodoro said in the same forum that the task force is “an effective arrangement” between the US Indo-Pacific Command and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“The Task Force has a specific mission … and that is to transform our resilience, internally and externally,” he said, describing the body as a military mechanism aimed at integrating all military operations in the Philippines.
The Philippines and we are close to their partners, with their cooperation held in the agreement to do everything in the 1950s that binds both to protect each other in the event of an armed attack. Their alliance has flourished in recent years, and the combined military drive has become more complex and includes advanced weapons systems.
The Tarroop Everation Pact between the Philippines and Canada will improve cooperation between their armed forces, which could help restore the situation in the South China Sea, an analyst said.
“Sovfa is creating cooperation between the two countries that cheated in the understanding of how to respond to China that is beginning to be confident in changing its muscles, said a Christian at the right level in Manila.
He added that the framework of the Agreement will provide for the opening of Canadian forces to participate in various military exercises organized by the Philippines.
Chester B. Cabalza, founding president of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said that Canada’s forging of a military pact with the Philippines signals its “true intention” to boost an international rules-based order in the South China Sea.
The visiting forces are a “significant development” for both nations, and will provide another non-Manila partner that cannot rely on Chinese aggression on the strategic road that is being removed, said Sherwin E. ONA, a security analyst and Professor of Finance at De La Salle University.
“It significantly increases the country’s deterrence posture and opens opportunities for Canada to participate in joint exercises,” he said in a Viber message.
Manila relies heavily on joint military exercises to improve its military capabilities, and has held several joint drills with other countries as part of its efforts to strengthen its defenses in the South China Sea.
Talks of visiting powers with France and the UK are also ongoing.
