(Eagle News)–President Bongbong Marcos left for Melbourne on Sunday, March 3, to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
President Marcos said the summit “presents an opportunity to reiterate the Philippines’ national positions on regional and international issues and sets the tone for the ASEAN’s Dialogue Partner Summits later this year.”
“The summit will be an opportunity to thank Australia, ASEAN’S oldest dialogue partner, for its unwavering support for the rule of law, for the 1982 (United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea) and the 2016 Arbitral Award, through timely statements of support as well as through capacity-building and academic initiatives to mainstream appreciation of international law,” he said.
The President said there will be two main engagements in the summit: the Leaders’ Plenary and the Leaders’ Retreat.
He said the Philippines will propose ways to further bolster relations during the plenary and exchange views on issues affecting the region and the world during the retreat.
He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with the prime ministers of Cambodia and New Zealand, and meet with the Filipino community in Melbourne.
According to the Presidential Communications Office, the President will also deliver the keynote speech in the Lowy Institute, during which he will highlight the Philippines’ role in world affairs.
The PCO said Australia is the second home to around 408,000 Filipinos and Australians of Filipino descent.
In 2023, Overseas Filipino Workers’ remittances from Australia reached $301.2 million.