The Philippines and New Zealand have officially begun negotiations for the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA).
The first round of talks took place on January 23 in Manila, hosted by the Philippine government. Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary Pablo M. Lorenzo led the Philippine delegation, while New Zealand Ministry of Defence (MoD) Director Kathleen Pearce headed the New Zealand delegation.
Other members of the New Zealand delegation included New Zealand Ambassador Catherine McIntosh, Deputy Head of Mission Stacey Kwant, and a MoD analyst. Additional members of the New Zealand team participated virtually.
The Philippine delegation consisted of 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 negotiations mark an important step in strengthening bilateral defense ties between the two countries. A commitment to finalize the SOVFA was among the key outcomes of a meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during Luxon's visit to Manila in April 2024.
The SOVFA will build on the 2017 Memorandum of Arrangement between the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with New Zealand's MoD. The agreement will allow the two countries’ armed forces to conduct joint exercises and expand defense cooperation in each other’s territories.
The completion of the SOVFA will be a significant milestone in the Philippines-New Zealand bilateral relationship, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2026.