President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed openness to the possibility of establishing a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Germany, signaling a potential expansion of defense cooperation between Manila and Berlin amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
Speaking at a joint press conference with German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Malacañang on Tuesday, Marcos said deeper military and security engagement with Germany is already underway and could serve as a foundation for a more formal arrangement in the future.
“Well, why not? We probably, in reality, we’re still a long way off of that. But we are actually increasing our engagements, especially in the military and in the defense and the security areas,” Marcos said.
The President noted that Germany has participated as an observer in the Philippines–United States Balikatan exercises over the past three years, reflecting growing military-to-military familiarity between the two countries.
He also cited existing cooperation in maritime security, including German support for the modernization of the Philippine Coast Guard through the provision of Airbus H145 helicopters in 2019 and unmanned aerial systems in 2024.
Marcos said that in light of global volatility, expanding defense partnerships could contribute to regional stability rather than create divisions.
“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,” he said.
He added that the Philippines would be open to formalizing a VFA “when the time comes,” depending on mutual readiness and policy alignment between the two countries.
“Certainly that would be something that the Philippines will be very, very open to. I cannot see any disadvantage to that,” Marcos said.
The Philippines and Germany signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2025 covering joint training, cybersecurity initiatives, and logistics cooperation. German officials have since indicated interest in further deepening defense ties, including the possibility of upgrading cooperation to a VFA-like framework.
At present, the Philippines maintains visiting forces agreements with the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, France, and Canada, providing legal and operational frameworks for temporary deployment of foreign troops during joint military activities.
Officials said any future VFA with Germany would further broaden Manila’s network of security partnerships amid increasing tensions in key global regions, including the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East.