Remarks by
HON. ENRIQUE A. MANALO
Secretary for Foreign Affairs
“The Philippines and Australia: Strategic Partners”
Australian Institute of International Affairs
University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia
9 October 2023
Mr. Michael Cook, President, the Australian Institute of International Affairs South Australia;
Professor John Williams, Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics, The University of Adelaide;
Ms. Victoria Bick, thank you for the introductory remarks;
Excellencies, Philippine Ambassador to Australia Hellen Barber-Dela Vega; Australian Ambassador to the Philippines HK Yu;
Excellencies, Philippine Consul General to Melbourne Maria Lourdes Salcedo;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen;
A very good morning to you all.
At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.
I am pleased to be here in Adelaide and I wish to thank the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) and The University of Adelaide for hosting us this morning. South Australia holds a special place in the history of Philippines-Australia relations. It was in Terowie, located about 200 kilometers north of Adelaide, where US General Douglas MacArthur said, “I came out of Bataan and I shall return.”
General MacArthur left the Philippines in March 1942 and traveled to Australia to regroup with the allied forces. The President of the Philippines at the time, President Manuel L. Quezon, also traveled to Australia and first established his government in exile in Melbourne before heading to the United States.
The Fall of Bataan or the surrender of Filipino and American forces to Japan is marked in history not because of our defeat but because of its impact on the Pacific campaign. The defense of Bataan thwarted the advance of Japan in the Southern Pacific, helped safeguard Australia and thereby binding our peoples in tight kinship.
Australian forces on the other hand fought in the battle of Leyte in 1944, the largest naval battle in history, and in Lingayen in 1945. Australians lost lives for the liberation of the Philippines. Filipinos also lost lives to keep Australia safe. It is a legacy of valor that binds us to this day.
We established formal diplomatic relations with the declaration of an independent Philippine Republic on 04 July 1946. On the eve of our inauguration, President Manuel Roxas of the Philippines broadcast his greetings to the Government and the people of Australia recognizing Australia’s support in the liberation of the Philippines.
We now celebrate Philippines-Australia Friendship Day on the 22nd of May every year, marking the day when Australia established its Consulate General in Manila.
Overview of bilateral relations
With our shared commitment to the post-1945 rules-based global order, our two countries have championed shared values, built robust defense cooperation, pursued trade and investment, and fostered vibrant cultural and people-to-people ties.
Defense is a cornerstone of our cooperation. Next to the United States, Australia is the Philippines’ second-largest partner in defense and security cooperation and one of only two Status of Visiting Forces Agreement partners. This focuses on counter-terrorism, maritime security as well as the Modernization Program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Australia’s assistance during the Marawi crisis laid the ground for the unprecedented expansion of our defense and security cooperation. In 2017, Australia helped the Philippine military in decisively quelling the militants affiliated with the Islamic State that seized Marawi City in Southern Philippines.
Our cooperation is ever on guard to ensure that the threat of militancy and terrorism do not ever again disturb the peace of our communities. Australia involves itself actively in sustaining and advancing the dividends of peace in southern Mindanao with its support for the Philippine government’s comprehensive efforts for transforming the development of the communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
Our security cooperation will always find anchor in our common resolve to contribute to promoting and preserving a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific. We have concluded our recent activities together with like-minded partners like the United States and Japan in the context of this common purpose.
The history of our ties also reveals a compelling commercial narrative. Trade between Manila and Sydney began as early as the 1800s when the Philippines then under Spanish colonial rule and Australia still under the British. Australia imported sugar, coffee and hemp from the Philippines during this era.
Fast forward to 2022, Australia has emerged as the Philippines' 14th major trading partner, with our trade worth approximately US$3.36 billion. Further expansion is foreseen in light of regional economic integration initiatives, and tailwinds of the post-pandemic resurgence in the Indo-Pacific economies.
Australia is consistently among the top 15 sources of foreign investments in the Philippines, posting US$9 billion from 2017 to 2022.There are more than 250 Australian companies employing over 41,000 Filipinos across sectors such as business process management, infrastructure, banking, telecommunications, energy, and education. Notable Australian corporations like the Macquarie Group, Telstra, Austal, and Oceana Gold are among multinationals that enrich the Philippine business landscape.
Similarly, Philippine businesses have established their footprint in Australia. The International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), a Manila-based global port management company, is operating the most technologically advanced container terminal in the Port of Melbourne. Philippine conglomerate San Miguel's strategic acquisitions, including Barossa Bottling Services, have shored up its packaging business in Australia.
The New England Solar Farm in New South Wales exemplifies the new generation of business-to-business partnerships. Launched in March of this year by our Ambassador to Australia Hellen De La Vega and Australia's Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, this solar farm stands as the largest in Australia, developed and operated by the Philippine company ACEN, a part of the Ayala Group.
We must sustain this confidence and dynamism.
Taking our relationship to the future requires new focus into partnerships advancing climate-smart, green transition, and economic development oriented to sustainability, resilience and inclusion.
For the Philippines, advancing the bilateral relationship means its being more people-focused – through outcomes that generate jobs and impact on communities, whether through resilient health systems, food security, disaster resilience, safe cyberspace for children, and sound environment.
The more than 400,000 Filipinos in this country attest to the vibrant connections between our peoples which set the ground for more encompassing, human-centered bonds between the Philippines and Australia in the 21st century.
Philippine interests in a rules-based global order
Distinguished guests, friends,
I have referred to our common interest in upholding a rules-based global order. Let me underline why this is important to the Philippines.
Firstly, the rule of law guarantees equity in the global commons. The Philippines is an archipelagic nation, with more sea than land in our territory, and the 5th longest coastline in the world, which at 36,289 kilometers is even longer than that of Australia, which is 25,760 kilometers. As one of the 18 mega-biodiverse countries in the world, we consider the stewardship of the global commons as a profound responsibility.
We stand for the fair and inclusive governance of the maritime commons in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and I signed the Treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, or BBNJ, in New York three weeks ago.
The Philippine Space Agency established in 2019 carries the Filipino aspiration to be a space-capable and space-faring country by 2030 that applies space-based technologies in providing solutions to the challenges of our age, especially climate change and disaster risk resilience. To meet this aspiration, we need a level playing field and an inclusive and predictable governance regime in the space domain.
Secondly, rule of law underpins a stable security architecture that is needed to sustain the positive economic trajectory in the Indo-Pacific. This matters a lot to the Philippines, which is on the threshold of becoming an upper middle-income country, and is projected to be the 16th largest economy in the world by 2040.
This matters to the Philippines-Australia relationship as we pursue bilaterally and with other partners greater connectivity, resilient and sustainable supply chains, and an open and integrated economy, through, for example, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the upgraded ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
This matters also to Australia as it seeks more dynamic economic partnerships under the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 launched last month.
And, it also matters to both the Philippines and Australia as partners in solidarity with Pacific island nations in their pursuit of growth, resilience and transformation through the strains and impact of global warming.
The interdependence of economies in the Indo-Pacific has driven growth that has lifted millions of people out of poverty. It is key to securing our future. It provides the rationale for Indo-Pacific countries to work together, to forge paths of meaningful cooperation that bridge the nexus of development and climate action, and to preserve the integrity of the open and rules-based international economic order.
Thirdly, especially amidst crises and challenges, multilateralism must thrive as a unifying force and a platform for empowering nations and their citizens. A rules-based global order fosters trust and solidarity, and makes it possible for multilateralism to deliver decisive and beneficial outcomes.
For as long as there is no credible alternative to the United Nations and multilateral institutions, we must persevere in making them work. The Philippines has worked to make multilateralism more constructive, inclusive, and equitable.
As a founding member of the United Nations, ASEAN and APEC, the Philippines has always believed that countries, with our respective interests and agency, are equal partners in shaping our future.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., in his address to the UN General Assembly last year in New York, said, and I quote “For amidst challenging global tides, an important ballast stabilizes our common vessel. That is, our open, inclusive, and rules-based international order that is governed by international law and informed by the principles of equity and justice.” End of quote.
These words sum up the President’s call for unity for a world where fairness, cooperation, and adherence to international law prevails and where every nation's voice is heard and valued.
PH-Australia Strategic Partnership
We have recently, with Australia, elevated our ties of 77 years to a strategic partnership.
This new appellation reflects not only the strength of our partnership, but also the depth of our interests and our commitment to the role and responsibilities of the Philippines-Australia relationship in our evolving geopolitical landscape.
President Marcos Jr. hosted the signing of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Manila last September 8.
Tomorrow, I will be meeting Foreign Minister Penny Wong for the second time this year to discuss a broad range of topics, including cooperation in cybersecurity, critical infrastructure security, law enforcement, as well as in science and innovation, environmental protection and climate change. We will also agree on a plan of action to guide us as we advance our bilateral relationship from strength to strength.
I look ahead to Australia’s closer engagement in the years ahead as a partner not only of the Philippines, but of ASEAN. Australia holds the distinction as ASEAN’s first dialogue partner as well as its first Comprehensive Strategic Partner.
I am confident that the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in March 2024 to commemorate 50 years of ASEAN-Australia partnership will mark a new watershed in Australia’s abiding support for ASEAN and ASEAN Centrality. Moreover, Australia’s transparent engagement with countries in the region in the coming years through AUKUS is critical in assuring that this arrangement upholds the regional security architecture with ASEAN at its center.
I fully trust that the relationship between the Philippines and Australia will strengthen support of this rules-based regional architecture.
Let me cite three recent developments in that respect:
Firstly: The two visits of Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles to the Philippines and the conduct of Exercise Alon, a joint sea-to-land exercise of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Australian Defence Force that is part of Indo-Pacific Endeavor 2023.
Secondly: Our agreement to convene an annual Defense Ministers’ Meeting beginning in 2024.
Thirdly: Our reinforced commitment as maritime democracies to uphold an UNCLOS-based maritime regime and ensure maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight. In this context, we are expanding maritime cooperation across policy-planning, practical engagement and capacity-building activities including through combined maritime activities in the South China Sea.
Australia’s unequivocal support for the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea and its rejection of historic claims that have no basis in international law, and its assistance in upgrading the capacities of the Philippine Coast Guard, as pledged by Minister Wong early this year, are part of this.
The Philippines is prepared to play its part in such a new vigorous period in our defense and security partnership with Australia, not to confront nor provoke, but to honor our commitment to our people for the protection of our sovereignty, territorial integrity, and regional stability.
Our leaders emphasized upon the signing of the Joint Declaration in Manila – the necessity for "proactive, innovative, and adaptable" collaboration in pursuit of a shared vision between the Philippines and Australia – two close friends and now Strategic Partners eager to maximize their collaboration's potential, contributing not only to their national security and development but also to the greater good.
Our friendship, forged in the crucible of war, has evolved to assume a mantle of stewardship of global peace and stability, with our defense of democracy, sovereignty, and the rule of law.
Our Strategic Partnership is but a new chapter in the ongoing story of our ties as builders and keepers of peace and prosperity of our peoples and of the region.
Thank you very much. END