DND chief Teodoro: VFAs are 'highest expression of support' for 2016 arbitral ruling

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September 18, 2025 | 9:22am

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. called visiting forces agreements the “highest expression of support” for Philippine sovereignty as he pushed for additional deals to bolster the country’s defense posture.

Speaking at a business forum in Makati City on Wednesday, September 17, Teodoro highlighted the need to ramp up the Philippines' defense posture and argued that such agreements are a clear signal of international backing for the Philippines' position in the South China Sea. 

“No country in the world is taken seriously at face value, no matter how diplomatic you want to be, without a strong defence backbone,” he said. “The smaller the country, the stronger the deterrence.”

A Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is an agreement that establishes the framework for one country's military personnel to operate within another's borders. It defines the rights and responsibilities of visiting troops, covering issues like jurisdiction and logistical procedures, among others.

The Philippines currently has three active VFAs — with the United States, Australia and Japan, the latter of which is formally called a reciprocal access agreement. 

Four more are in the pipeline with New Zealand, Canada, France and, most recently, the United Kingdom. 

All four most recent VFA talks were initiated under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has sought to broaden Manila’s network of security partners amid growing tensions with China in the South China Sea.

Teodoro described the agreements as “the highest expression of support” for the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that invalidated Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. 

"We hope that we will have a growing number of visiting forces partners because it’s the highest expression of support for the Arbitral Award, for our sovereign rights, for our territorial integrity and sovereignty, and for the values that we stand for,” Teodoro said as quoted in a Department of National Defense statement. 

Besides pursuing VFAs, the Marcos administration has also sought to deepen defense ties outside the United States. The Philippines' joint sails and exercises with countries like Japan, Australia, France, and Canada have increased in both frequency and visibility since 2022.