Canada expected to send 3rd largest contingent in Balikatan 2026
Philippine News Agency
By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
November 6, 2025, 7:14 pm
MANILA -- Canada is expected to become the third largest participant in the upcoming 2026 Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines, with the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) finally signed, Canadian Ambassador David Hartman said on Thursday.
"Canada expects to be the third largest participant in Balikatan next year. So, we have had a whole series, leading up to the signature of SOVFA, of military planners here in the Philippines, engaging with the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines)," he said.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea in Taguig City, the envoy said these increased engagements reflect the "scale and scope" of the continuously deepening defense relations between the two states.
Canada has participated as an observer in the previous Balikatan exercises.
In its 2026 iteration, Balikatan is expected to include more than 500 joint military activities ranging from large-scale exercises and smaller subject matter expert exchanges.
The SOVFA, Hartman said, will also pave the way for Canada's sustained participation in the joint maritime cooperation activities in the West Philippine Sea.
"You'll see the progress on this visiting forces agreement kick off very quickly. Canada is committed in a very significant and robust way," Hartman said.
Formal negotiations for the Philippine-Canada SOVFA started on Jan. 16 and concluded on March 7.
The deal, formally signed on Nov. 2, will enter into force once endorsed and ratified by the Senate.
"In our system, it's already been signed by our Governor General through an order in Council. So, it gets publicized and it'll sit in our public debate for 21 days in our parliament, and then it's in effect from our vantage," Hartman said. (PNA)
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