Philippine sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea took center stage as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used his official visit to Canada to acknowledge Ottawa’s firm posture on the maritime dispute, singling out its endorsement of the 2016 ruling that struck down Beijing’s sweeping claims.
During a joint press statement at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Marcos praised Canada for backing a rules-based order in contested waters at a time when Chinese militia vessels have harassed Filipino forces in the area.
“As the Philippines celebrates the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Award on the South China Sea, I thanked Canada for its vocal and consistent support for a rules-based order in the South China Sea, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and in upholding the Arbitral Award as final and legally binding,” the President said.
The defense relationship figured prominently in the leaders’ talks. Marcos noted that he and Prime Minister Mark Carney had welcomed the November 2025 signing of the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, a pact now awaiting ratification by the Philippine Senate. He also pointed to two other agreements concluded a fortnight earlier: the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement and the Statement of Intent on Strengthening Defense Cooperation.
On maritime security, the President flagged his interest in keeping Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection Program running in Philippine waters. The program was rolled out to sharpen the country’s awareness of activity at sea and to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
The arbitration itself remains the anchor of Manila’s legal position. Handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration under UNCLOS on 12 July 2016, the ruling dismissed the legal basis for China’s “nine-dash line” and recognized Philippine sovereign rights within its Exclusive Economic Zone, a stance Ottawa has repeatedly affirmed.
Marcos capped the engagement by announcing that the Philippines and Canada would raise their bilateral ties to the level of a Strategic Partnership.
