MANILA — The Philippine Senate ratified a sensitive military pact with Australia on July 24 that lays out rules for visiting troops, in a move politicians said would improve regional security.
The agreement was first signed in 2007 but remained in legislative limbo amid political sensitivities, as the country’s constitution explicitly bans the long-term stationing of foreign forces on its territory.
Its endorsement by the Senate five years on is seen by some observers as a bid to get Australia’s backing in Manila’s row with China over South China Sea islands.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the body passed a resolution endorsing the treaty 17-1 with no abstentions, putting it into force after a four-year debate in the Philippines.
“Concurrence with the ratification... will not only pave the way for us to improve our defence mechanisms, it will also solidify our decades-old relationship with Australia,” he said in a press release.
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