Marcos seeks Australia’s support amid regional threats

President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the Philippines and Australia should oppose actions that ”clearly denigrate the rule of law” as he sought for the latter’s support in addressing challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. 

During his address before the Australian Parliament in Canberra, Marcos also said he remains firm in defending the Philippines’ sovereignty and thanked Australia for its support amid tensions in the South China Sea (SCS).

In his speech, the Philippine leader emphasized that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region has come “under threat.” 

”We have long known that our prosperity and development are anchored to peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific. Today, that peace, that stability, and our continued success have come under threat,” Marcos said. 

”Once again, we must come as partners to face the common challenges confronting the region. Not one single country can do this by itself. No single force can counter them by themselves. This is why our strategic partnership grows more important now than ever,” he added.

Marcos said the Philippines and Australia ”must reinforce each other’s strength” and “protect the peace we have fought for in the war and have jealously guarded in the decades since.”

“We must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law,” he said. 

Marcos said Australia plays a crucial role as one of only two partners with which the Philippines has a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the other one being the United States.

”Our two countries have always understood that without the predictability and stability of our rules-based order, our region would not have emerged as the driver of the global economy as it is today,” he said.

‘One square inch’

Marcos also reiterated that he would not allow any foreign power to taken “even one square inch” of the country’s territory, and that the Philippines remained firm in defending its sovereignty.

“I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory,” he said.

”The challenges that we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our resolve. We will not yield,” Marcos said. ”Then as now, the security and continued prosperity of the region – of countries like Australia – relies upon that effort.”

He also said that the partnership between Manila and Canberra ”finds its anchor in our common commitment to ensuring that this region keeps to the path of peace, builds resilience, remains focused on delivering dividends to our citizens and our communities.”

During his Manila visit last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated Australia’s position when it comes to the security issues in the South China Sea SCS), saying that the international law must always be upheld.

Marcos said this amid heightened tensions between the Philippines and China, both of whom claim territory in the SCS and have traded accusations of aggressive behavior in the strategic waterway. Manila calls its portion of SCS as West Philippine Sea.

Besides the Philippines, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims of sovereignty in the SCS, a conduit for goods in excess of $3 trillion every year.

PH-Australia ties

Also in his speech before the Australian Parliament, Marcos emphasized that it is crucial to envision the depth of the Philippines’ strategic partnership with Australia.

He noted that the Philippines and Australia’s interests have been intertwined as ”the security of Australia is bound with the security of the Philippines.”

”Geopolitical polarities and strategic competition threatened our hard-won peace even as we remain beset by unresolved inequities and inequalities within and amongst nations, powerful and transformative technologies can destabilize our political and social order, climate change threatens our very existence. These tectonic shifts are acutely felt in the Indo-Pacific,” the President said. 

Marcos is in Australia on an official visit, before he attends a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Melbourne next week.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was a very great pleasure to welcome the Philippine President as this was the next step in the growing partnership between the two nations.  —with Reuters/KBK, GMA Integrated News