President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins during a courtesy call at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 to discuss strengthening military ties. Noel Pabalate, PPA Pool

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins during a courtesy call at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 to discuss strengthening military ties.

PH-NZ

Job Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1746018863810viber_image_2025-04-30_14-29-43-307.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins during a courtesy call at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 to discuss strengthening military ties. Noel Pabalate, PPA Pool"/>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins during a courtesy call at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 to discuss strengthening military ties. Noel Pabalate, PPA Pool</div>MANILA – The Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) that the Philippines and New Zealand signed on Wednesday seeks to uphold a rules-based order, continue protecting and opening trade routes, and have both forces work closer together, officials said.Manila and Wellington earlier today inked the defense agreement allowing their militaries to hold joint training activities in each other’s territories, boosting interoperability and cooperation.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/30/ph-new-zealand-ink-defense-deal-allowing-military-to-operate-in-each-other-s-territories-1457">READ: Philippines, New Zealand ink defense deal allowing military to operate in each other’s territories</a></div>During the bilateral meeting between Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins, Teodoro said the pact is “not merely an exercise on territorial claim” but rather a move to uphold the rules of law “down the line.” “Our goal is to have clarity in the world when it comes to reinforcement of international law,” said Teodoro.The SOVFA also sought to strengthen the ability of the country’s armed forces and defense establishment to “have a familiarity with each other to interoperate and as an action.” “The more you train together, the more trust and confidence is built. This is not only for defensive purposes but most importantly because both the New Zealand and the Philippines are in the ring of fire, it will help interoperability in [disaster operations],” he said.Teodoro said New Zealand is an important partner of the Philippines, noting that challenges are similar for the both countries -- may it be in rules-based international order, territorial claims, or through climate change.“Our sovereign rights, claims, of which are being claimed by others without entitlement of claiming them and China for example is being aggressive with how it does its claims, we need to deter these kinds of unwanted behavior,” he said.“We are committed to mutual resilience and in this way, through SOVFA, interoperability and other enhanced exchanges should be done for connective resilience in the Indo-Pacific region and bilateral forces to develop our mutual resilience,” he said.“That is the next step after the SOV-FA is ratified, and when concurred in the Senate, we will work to have the mechanisms for bilateral and multilateral armed force training,” he said.<div>WHY SOVFA</div>Asked why a defense pact is necessary and what is at stake in New Zealand, Minister Collins said it was important for her country to adhere to rules based order.“We are a maritime nation like the Philippines. We are a nation that relies on trade routes… we have been involved in making sure that the trade routes in the South China Sea and others are open. We do because we have an obvious interest as a small nation that international law matters,” said Collins.Aside from this, the Philippines, she said, is a partner that they have engaged with in many years.Among the provisions of SOVFA include a legal framework that forges the relationship of the two countries. an exchange of intelligence and technology, however, remain to be seen.Collins added that the agreement is similar to the SOVFA that the country has with Australia.“It’s very important for us to have that legal framework so we are not wasting time having to work out the rules of the road beforehand when we know exactly where we are,” she said.“It signals an opportunity for New Zealand and the Philippines to work closer together in terms of engagement particularly working together overseas or doing work together in present issues that we have. Very much just helping to smooth through a relationship working and understanding each other better,” the minister added.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/30/philippines-reviewing-some-defense-deals-over-misaligned-interests-1734">READ: Philippines reviewing some defense deals over ‘misaligned’ interests</a></div><div>BALIKATAN?</div>Asked by ABS-CBN News if New Zealand will be joining the Balikatan exercises soon, Collins said: “The New Zealand is quite occupied doing quite a lot in our area and certainly with the transits and Taiwan Strait in the South China Sea, with our own engagement and deployment in the Republic of Korea.  I think we are hoping that we work closer together and we do some exercises, maybe military training.”The Philippines also enjoys a Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States and a SOVFA with Australia, while a similar deal with Japan has been signed but is pending ratification in Congress.In 2024,  Teodoro said that the administration is also working to forge similar defense pacts with Canada and France.

The Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) that the Philippines and New Zealand signed on Wednesday sought to uphold a rules-based order, continue protecting and opening trade routes, and have both forces work closer together, officials said.

The Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) that the Philippines and New Zealand signed on Wednesday sought to uphold a rules-based order, continue protecting and opening trade routes, and have both forces work closer together, officials said.

Upholding rules-based order: What defense pact means to PH, New Zealand | ABS-CBN

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Upholding rules-based order: What defense pact means to PH, New Zealand

Upholding rules-based order: What defense pact means to PH, New Zealand

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 30, 2025 09:18 PM PHT

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DND

Department of National Defense

Gibo Teodoro

New Zealand

Judith Collins

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