The Philippines–Australia Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) is a bilateral

visiting forces agreement A visiting forces agreement (VFA) is an agreement between a country and a foreign nation having military forces visiting in that country. Visiting forces agreements are similar in intent to status of forces agreements (SOFAs). A VFA typically cov ...

between the governments of the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and the

Commonwealth of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

concerning the status of armed forces from each state while in the territory of the other. A visiting forces agreement is a version of a status of forces agreement that only applies to troops temporarily in a country. The agreement was signed in Canberra, Australia on 31 May 2007 by Philippine Defense Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane, Jr. and his Australian counterpart Defence Minister

Brendan Nelson Brendan John Nelson (born 19 August 1958) is a business leader and former Australian politician. He served as the federal Leader of the Opposition from 2007 to 2008, going on to serve as Australia's senior diplomat to the European Union and NA ...

. The signing was witnessed by Philippine President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

and Australian Prime Minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

. Under Article XVIII, Section 25 of the

Philippine constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippine ...

, foreign military bases, troops, or facilities may only be allowed in the Philippines under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate. A press release issued October 3, 2007 by the Philippine Senate announced that senators Mar Roxas and

Jinggoy Estrada Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (; born February 17, 1963), also known as Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada or simply Jinggoy Estrada, is a Filipino politician, film actor, and producer serving as a Senator since 2022, and previously from 2004 to 2016. H ...

called the attention of the

Office of the President Office of the President can refer to: * Office of the President of Brazil * Office of the President of the People's Republic of China (entity in the Office of the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party) * Office of the President (Republi ...

for its failure to officially transmit this agreement for Senate concurrence. The Philippine Senate, voting 17–1, ratified the agreement on July 24, 2012. Lone dissenter Senator

Joker Arroyo Ceferino "Joker" Paz Arroyo Jr. (January 5, 1927 – October 5, 2015) was a Filipino statesman and key figure in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution which ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was a Congressman for Makati from 1992 to 2001 and ...

questioned the sudden ratification of the SOVFA, suggesting that the Philippines' unresolved territorial dispute with China may have triggered the vote. The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs welcomed the Senate's concurrence while Presidential Spokesperson

Edwin Lacierda Edwin Lacierda () is a Filipino lawyer and technology entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of the online payments company, PayMongo. He was a member of the Philippine Cabinet and Presidential Spokesperson of President Benigno S. Aquino III. Prior t ...

said in a statement that the Senate "has taken an important step in enhancing our national and regional security by ratifying the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) between Australia and the Philippines." The treaty entered into force on September 28, 2012.

Notes

Treaties of the Philippines Treaties of Australia Treaties concluded in 2007 Treaties entered into force in 2012 Australia–Philippines relations 2007 in Australian law {{Australia-mil-stub

See also

Notes