Canada seeks VFA with PH

Canada is seeking deeper defense ties with the Philippines by having a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) to enhance the capacity of both countries’ militaries to respond to various situations, including security threats at sea and during calamities.

A senior official of the Canadian Embassy in Manila said Ottawa is now looking forward to coming up with a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with Manila following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on defense between both sides.

But “that is a complicated piece” now as the Philippines and Canada “have different legislative requirements,” he added.

“It’s not easy. It requires coordination with the legislative branch of government in both sides,” the official said in an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the opening of its Indo-pacific Agriculture and AgriFood Office.

Boosting military training and strengthening capacity to respond to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) are among the reasons why Canada is pushing for a VFA with the Philippines.

“Understanding the vulnerability of the Philippines – natural disasters, just as one example, right. Having this agreement makes it easier to do those things,” he said.

“But also having that agreement in place allows us to do deeper kinds of military training together. Right now, we can only do HADR. Yeah, we can’t do what we would call traditional military training, the way we do it with other countries,” he said.

Currently, the Philippines is still under talks for its possible Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan – a defense and security agreement to share military training and operations.

The Philippines and Japan’s RAA would somehow be the same as the Philippines’ VFA with the US and Australia.

“This puts a lot of burden on the various ministries of foreign affairs on both sides, the departments of defense on both sides,” the Canadian official said, explaining why Canada understands why its possible SOVFA with the Philippines could not easily be expedited.

“Obviously Japan, for the Philippines, is already in the queue with the RAA. So we’ve got to prioritize and sequence. This is not a competition. Getting Japan, getting across the finish line is important to us. Japan is a valued partner for us. So it’s about getting it right in a way that satisfies the needs of the Philippines,” he added.