The House appropriations committee tackles today the proposed budget of the Department of National Defense (which includes the AFP).

Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro, in briefing the committee, says he's gotten confirmation from counterparts in the United Kingdom their interest in a possible SOVFA or Status of the Visiting Forces Agreement.

According to a release from the defense dept, Lord Vernon Coaker, Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom relayed to Defense Sec Gibo Teodoro the UK's "intent to enter into a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with the Philippines" during the latter's visit to Camp Aguinaldo.

Should negotiations for this SOVFA push through, it would be the second that the Philippines is currently negotiating. It's also in talks with France for a SOVFA.

Earlier this year, the Philippines concluded SOVFA talks with New Zealand and Canada. The SOVFA with New Zealand has since been signed, and the Canada one is expected to be signed soon.

Members of the France-critical Alliance of Sahel States (AES)— Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso— all announce their intent to withdraw from the ICC, following the path of Burundi, the Philippines and most recently Hungary.
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20250922-niger-mali-and-burkina-faso-icc-withdrawal

LOOK: Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian pays a farewell call to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacañang today. Huang has been Beijing's envoy to Manila since 2019. (Photo from MPC Pool)

Marcos tells Huang (shortly before the media was escorted out of the room): "We’ll miss you... I think we have made a very good second home already here in Manila."

Marcos also adds: "It's unfortunate we didn't make much more progress on the difficulties we have in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea. But I think considering how difficult the situation was, we have managed to keep things away from too much..."

Huang was summoned at least twice by Marcos himself, over issues related to the South China Sea — in February 2023, over a laser-pointing incident against a Philippine Coast Guard ship, then in July 2025 over sanctioned Beijing imposed on former senator Francis Tolentino.  

Details please.