DFA chief: Japan defense accord talks progressing; VFA with France a possibility

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Thursday said talks for a “reciprocal access agreement” between the Philippines and Japan are “progressing,” while a similar accord with France is “a possibility” as Manila seeks to bolster defense ties with allies amid concerns over the volatile situation in the South China Sea.

“I think the movement has been going well,” Manalo told foreign and local journalists at a forum in Manila when asked about the status of the pact with Japan, called RAA. “I’m optimistic.”

“Of course, there's still some other issues which have to be tackled. I think the next round of discussions will look into those,” he said.

Although there is no working draft yet on the proposed military access pact with France, Manalo said the forging of such agreement has “certainly been discussed.”

“The VFA with France has been talked about, but there are no details. It’s a possibility,” said Manalo, who spoke at a forum hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).

The proposed accord with France, he added, may not necessarily be called a Visiting Forces Agreement or VFA.

“I think our two defense ministers have already discussed this. So, yes, it’s a possibility, but there’s nothing formal yet.”

Maritime, defense security cooperation

In the last several years, Manila has expanded maritime and defense security cooperation with allies amid increasing tensions between the Philippines and China in several hotspot areas in the South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal, which the Philippines calls Ayungin Shoal, and Scarborough Shoal, which Filipinos call Bajo de Masinloc.

Recently, the Philippines also signed separate defense cooperation agreements with Canada and the United Kingdom.

“I think many, many countries now especially let’s say, in Europe and also in the northern hemisphere and the Americas are seeing the Indo-Pacific as a region for the future,” Manalo said.

“There’s so much greater interest now and as we’ve mentioned before, the Philippines is right in the middle.”

A vital trading and shipping lane, the South China Sea, dotted with rocks, shoals and reefs where rich oil and mineral deposits were found, are claimed in part or in whole by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. Parts of the waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone have been renamed West Philippine Sea.

China’s vast territorial claims in the waters have sparked tensions and violent confrontations with smaller claimants, like the Philippines and Vietnam.

The Philippines largely won a landmark case against China’s massive claim in the South China Sea before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, but Beijing does not recognize the ruling.

VFA, SOVFA

A VFA between the United States and the Philippines took effect in 1999 and now serves as a legal framework that allows American forces to visit the country temporarily for military exercises and provide humanitarian and disaster-response assistance.

Australia and the Philippines signed a similar accord in May 2007 called the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, or SOVFA, which they separately ratified later.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution prohibits foreign troops from establishing permanent military bases in the country.

Once signed and ratified, the RAA between the Philippines and Japan will allow more Japanese forces to join annual military exercises involving the Philippines and the U.S., including the large-scale “Balikatan” exercises, and allow Japanese forces to help provide humanitarian assistance faster in the future. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News