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 c ...

between the governments of the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...

and the

Commonwealth of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of , making it the sixth-largest country in ...

concerning the status of

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

from each state while in the territory of the other. A visiting forces agreement is a version of a

status of forces agreement A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security ...

that only applies to troops temporarily in a country.

History

The agreement was signed in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australia on 31 May 2007 by Philippine Defense Secretary

Hermogenes Ebdane Hermogenes "Jun" Edejer Ebdane, Jr. (born December 30, 1948) is a Filipino politician and retired police officer with the rank of Director General. He is the Governor of Zambales since 2019, previously held this position from 2010 until 2016. H ...

and his Australian counterpart Defence Minister

Brendan Nelson Brendan John Nelson (born 19 August 1958) is an Australian business leader, physician and former 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 ...

. The signing was witnessed by Philippine President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

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. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

. Under Article XVIII, Section 25 of the

Philippine constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and rat ...

, foreign military bases, troops, or facilities may only be allowed in the Philippines under a treaty duly concurred in by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. A press release issued October 3, 2007 by the Philippine Senate announced that senators

Mar Roxas Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines ...

and

Jinggoy Estrada Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (born February 17, 1963), better known as Jinggoy Estrada or Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and film actor serving as a senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016. He is the current presi ...

called the attention of the Office of the President 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 Revolution, EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was a Congressman for Makati fr ...

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 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 {{Treaty-stub

History

See also

Notes