Senate yet to receive Philippines-Japan military access agreement

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is still waiting to receive the military access agreement signed between the Philippines and Japan in July, which will only take effect after it is ratified by the Philippine Senate and the Japanese parliament. 

Senate President Chiz Escudero said in a forum on Tuesday, September 24, that the agreement has yet to be transmitted to the Senate. He added that the deal needs to be tabled by October before the upper chamber focuses on plenary debates on the proposed 2025 budget.

"I believe these agreements--the RAA and similar agreements with our allies--will enable us to provide an effective deterrence while our military is not strong enough to provide that kind of deterrence," Escudero said during a forum on Tuesday.

Under the Philippine Constitution, all treaties or international agreements entered into by the government need to be approved by at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate before it takes effect.

The reciprocal access agreement signed on July 8 by the Philippines and Japan lifts the restrictions for both nations to send defense personnel to each other’s territory for joint exercises and other operations.

Once enforced, the deal will allow Japan to participate as a full member in the annual Balikatan military exercise conducted by the Philippines and the United States, in which Japan's troops have previously participated as observers.

The agreement was signed during a bilateral meeting described by the Presidential Communications Office as the "highest consultative mechanism to further deepen security and defense policy coordination and security cooperation between the two countries."

Defense Secetary Gilbert Teodoro earlier said the Philippines is eyeing a similar access agreement with Canada, New Zealand and France — countries that have backed the Philippines in calling out Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.