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Members of the Philippine Army participate in a demonstration during the 61st Founding Anniversary of Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Province of Nueva Ecija on June 25, 2023. Kj Rosales, PPA pool/File

Members of the Philippine Army participate in a demonstration during the 61st Founding Anniversary of Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Province of Nueva Ecija on Sunday, June 25, 2023. Kj Rosales, PPA pool

Article (news)

MARCOS- PH ARMY SFR

Michael Delizo

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175807955635720230625-ph-army-special-forces-PPA-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Members of the Philippine Army participate in a demonstration during the 61st Founding Anniversary of Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Province of Nueva Ecija on June 25, 2023. <em>Kj Rosales, PPA pool/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA — The United Kingdom has expressed its intent to enter into a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines (SOVFA) — a move that could add the European nation among military powers that maintain defense pacts with Manila.</div><p>UK Minister of State for Defense in the House of Lords, Lord Vernon Coaker, met with his Philippine counterpart, Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., at Camp Emilio Aguinaldo to convey intent for a defense accord, the Department of National Defense (DND) said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/16/teodoro-no-new-israeli-defense-contracts-but-ph-army-stuck-with-israeli-supplier-2033">Teodoro: No new Israeli defense contracts but PH Army ‘stuck’ with Israeli supplier</a></div><p>The agreement may allow foreign militaries to enter the country and take part in activities such as joint training, territorial patrols, and humanitarian missions.</p><p>The Philippines currently has defense agreements with the United States, Australia, and Japan, and it has recently concluded talks with Canada.</p><p>&quot;Mas marami kang kakampi, mas maganda. So, ‘yan ang ginagawa natin. Part of the program ni Sec. Teodoro is to conduct international defense and security engagements para magkaroon tayo ng mas maraming partners, lalo na with like-minded nations na may interest din dito sa kapakanan ng South China Sea at West Philippine Sea,&quot; DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong told reporters in a chance interview during a forum in Quezon City.</p><p>(The more allies you have, the better. That is what we are doing. Part of Secretary Teodoro’s program is to conduct international defense and security engagements so we can have more partners, especially with like-minded nations that also have an interest in the welfare of the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea.)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/12/-stronger-defense-ties-between-ph-japan-eyed-as-raa-takes-effect-september-dnd-1911">Stronger defense ties between PH, Japan eyed as RAA takes effect September: DND</a></div><p>During the meeting between Teodoro and Coaker, both sides agreed to undertake their respective internal processes and commence formal negotiations for the proposed SOVFA, which is expected to enhance operational collaboration and interoperability between the Philippine and British armed forces.</p><p>&quot;Mutual ito na agreement na although ‘yong iba nagpe-presinta, ‘yong iba naman tayo ang lumalapit pero ginagawa natin ito under our own volition, walang pressure sa atin. It has to be mutually beneficial for us and our partners and allies,&quot; Andolong added.</p><p>(This is a mutual agreement. While some countries present themselves and in other cases we initiate, we are doing this under our own volition, with no pressure on us. It has to be mutually beneficial for us and our partners and allies.)</p><p>Coaker’s trip to Manila coincided with the port visit of the UK Royal Navy’s HMS Richmond (F-239), part of Operation Highmast, the UK Carrier Strike Group’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/5/marcos-strikes-defense-deals-in-india-1713">Marcos strikes defense deals in India</a></div><div><br id="isPasted"/></div><div><strong>JOINT DRILLS </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The British Armed Forces is “very interested” in conducting multilateral maritime exercises with the Philippines, Teodoro said on Wednesday.</p><p>The Department of National Defense (DND) is waiting for “an official designation, authority in writing” from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before it could start discussing with its British counterparts a SOVFA, Teodoro told Palace reporters in a chance interview.</p><p>“They are very interested in multilateral maritime exercises, and for us, we see a fit also of our Army and their Army… We can learn a lot from the way that they operate as a smaller Army,” the Defense chief said.</p><p>“We welcome this development because then it will be the second European country that we will be negotiating a SOVFA with,” he said.</p><p>The Philippines’ has been negotiating a Reciprocal Access Agreement with France. The United Kingdom is the 7th country to have expressed its intention to enter into a formal military training agreement with the Philippines.</p><p>“Underlying that SOVFA is the full support not only for UNCLOS (United National Convention on the Law of the Seas) for international law, but full support for the arbitral award,” Teodoro said.</p><p>“That is the clearest expression that a country may have to support our position of the West Philippine Sea,” he said.</p><p>Since Marcos rose to power in 2022, the Philippines has been more vocal in condemning China’s illegal expansionist agenda in the region as Beijing continues to claim territorial and maritime features within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.</p><p>Manila has found several allies that called on China to honor a 2016 international arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s 9-dash line map, which claimed almost the entire South China Sea as part of Asia’s largest economy.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dm6o8_-4o04?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eeKAQ_B_ixk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The United Kingdom has expressed its intent to enter into a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines — a move that could add the European nation among military powers that maintain defense pacts with Manila.</p>

The United Kingdom has expressed its intent to enter into a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines — a move that could add the European nation among military powers that maintain defense pacts with Manila.

UK eyes visiting forces agreement with Philippines

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UK eyes visiting forces agreement with Philippines

Michael Delizo,

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 17, 2025 11:33 AM PHT

Read More:

UK

DND

SOVFA

Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

Lord Vernon Coaker

Defense

South China Sea

West Philippine Sea

visiting forces agreement

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