The Philippines and New Zealand have officially started negotiations for the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SoVFA), according to the Department of National Defense (DND) on Wednesday.

DND stated that the first round of talks took place on 23 January 2025, in Manila, with DND Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and Ministry of Defense (MoD) Director Kathleen Pearce leading the Philippine and New Zealand delegations, respectively.

The Philippine delegation also included Department of Justice Undersecretaries Raul Vasquez and Dennis Arvin Chan, Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces Undersecretary Antonio Habulan Jr., Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretaries Aileen Mendiola-Rau and Patrick Chuasoto, and DND Assistant Secretary Erik Lawrence Dy.

The New Zealand delegation was composed of Ambassador Catherine McIntosh, Deputy Head of Mission Stacey Kwant, and a MoD analyst, with additional officials from New Zealand joining the discussions virtually.

DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong emphasized that the first round of negotiations “marked an important step” in strengthening bilateral defense ties between the Philippines and New Zealand.

“A commitment to conclude a SoVFA was one of the key outcomes agreed upon between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during the latter’s visit to Manila in April 2024,” he said.

The SoVFA will reinforce the 2017 Memorandum of Arrangement on Defense Cooperation between the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines with New Zealand’s MoD. The agreement will enable both countries’ armed forces to increase their cooperative activities and conduct joint exercises on each other’s territories, further deepening defense and military cooperation.

“The conclusion of this agreement will be a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and New Zealand, especially as both countries prepare to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2026,” Andolong stressed.