VFA Agreement and the Philippines

The House of Representatives Monday passed on third and final reading a joint resolution expanding the coverage of the Legislative Oversight Committee.

This means expansion to monitor and oversee the implementation of the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States to include defense and Status of Forces Agreements with other countries.

House Joint Resolution No. 37 not only expands the coverage of the Legislative Oversight Committee to cover the VFA agreement between the Philippines and the U.S. and also that with the government of Australia.

But this would also task the LOC to oversee and monitor future defense and Status of Forces Agreements with other countries concurred in by the Senate.

The VFA is essentially a framework to promote the common security interests of the Philippines and the United States and to strengthen the bilateral defense partnership under the 1951 RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty concurred with by the Senate on May 27, 1999.

Meanwhile, the Senate, voting 17-1, ratified the RP-Australia Status of Visiting Forces Agreement on July 24, 2012.