Manila: Canada and the Philippines are in active talks on a military intelligence-sharing agreement, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman said Thursday. The proposed General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA) follows the recent signing of a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA), which enhances military-to-military cooperation between the two countries.
According to Philippines News Agency, Hartman noted that the GSOIA would allow a freer exchange of classified information between the two militaries. "The absence of that doesn't preclude us from engaging very comprehensively, very robustly, but with that extra layer, it just allows us to go deeper in terms of the exchange, and the frankness and the candor of information that we're able to share," he said. Similar deals signed by Canada have facilitated multi-million-dollar transactions by allowing security-cleared suppliers in both countries to access classified information needed to bid on sensitive projects.
Under its Indo-Pacific Strategy, Ottawa sees Manila as a key partner in sustaining regional stability, which it considers vital to its economy. Since launching the strategy, Canada has expanded economic and defense ties with the Philippines, with the SOVFA as the latest milestone. For the 2026 Exercise Balikatan, Hartman said Canada plans to deploy more than 600 personnel and assets. "This year, Canada will be the third largest participant at Balikatan. This is from three and a half years ago, when we didn't even have a resident defense attach©," Hartman said.
Meanwhile, the two countries agreed to further strengthen collaboration in the cyber and information domains, following a meeting at Camp Aguinaldo between Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary Angelito De Leon and Canada's senior official for cyber security, Sami Khoury of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), last February 18. DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong stated, "The engagement built on the growing defense partnership between the Philippines and Canada, is highlighted by the signing of the Philippines-Canada Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) in November 2025."
At the meeting, De Leon cited previous cyber engagements and expressed appreciation for Canada's continued collaboration. He also conveyed the DND's interest in learning from Canada's best practices in cyber governance, operational coordination, and resilience-building mechanisms to enhance national cyber capabilities. Discussions focused on key areas of convergence, including the regular exchange of strategic cyber threat intelligence, updates on evolving cyber threats, and institutionalizing joint training programs and professional exchanges. The officials also discussed sustaining cooperation through the regular convening of an Annual Philippines-Canada Cyber Working Group to ensure continuity, alignment of priorities, and measurable outcomes.
