Philippines, France may sign VFA this year

The Philippines and France are expected to finalize a visiting forces agreement (VFA) within the year, paving the way for closer defense cooperation between the two countries, according to a document shared by a senior Philippine Navy official on Monday.

Manila and Paris are likely to sign the pact in early 2026, based on a handout summarizing key military developments in 2025 that was shared with reporters by Rear Admiral Roy Vincent T. Trinidad, the Philippine Navy’s spokesman on the South China Sea.

The Department of National Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent via Viber.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. approved negotiations on a VFA with France in March last year. Since then, the two sides have held talks, with the most recent discussions taking place in December.

In a Dec. 11 statement, the Defense department said the negotiations reflect a shared commitment to deepen defense ties, improve interoperability and strengthen cooperation in support of regional peace and stability.

Once concluded, the agreement would make France the first European country to secure a VFA with the Philippines. Manila has been seeking to widen its network of security partners as tensions persist in the South China Sea.

The Philippines remains locked in a sea dispute with China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea based on a “nine-dash line” map. A United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s claim is illegal, a decision Beijing has rejected.

In response, Manila has expanded defense cooperation beyond the US, its long-standing treaty ally. It has signed VFAs with Australia, Japan and New Zealand, while similar talks with the United Kingdom are ongoing. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio