MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he was open to the Philippines forging a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Germany.
Marcos issued the remark during his joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier who is in the country for a three-day state visit.
“Why not? In reality we are way off of that but we are actually increasing our engagement especially in the military, defense, and security areas,” he said.
“Perhaps, when the time comes that would be something the Philippines would be very open to. I cannot see any disadvantage to that,” he added.
To date, the Philippines currently has five active agreements or equivalent troop-access arrangement, or Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with partner countries. These are with the United States, (VFA sealed in 1999); Australia (SOVFA signed in 2012); Japan (a legal framework for military visits and exercises); New Zealand (SOVFA); Canada (SOVFA signed in 2025); and France (SOVFA signed in 2026).
“With the volatility that is happening in the geopolitical world right now, the best path to stability is to have partnerships, is to have a wide base of alliances. Not any one country can now influence or change or direct the way the world is working,” Marcos said.
