Marcos to visit Australia, address Parliament

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will visit Australia and address its Parliament next week, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Saturday.

Marcos will be a guest of the Australian government during his visit scheduled on February 28 to 29, the PCO added.

He will discuss the vision for the Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and Australia during his address before the Parliament. The said partnership, which enhanced the bilateral relations from a Comprehensive Partnership in 2015, was signed in September last year during the visit of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the country.

Marcos will also meet with Australian senior officials to discuss defense and security, trade, investments, people-to-people exchanges, multilateral cooperation, and regional issues.

During the visit, new agreements will be signed “in areas of common interest to complement the already robust cooperation with Australia and expand engagements for mutual capacity-building,” the PCO said.

This November, the Philippines and Australia will mark the 78th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

Filipinos and Australians with Filipino descent number 408,000 in Australia as of 2022. This makes them the fifth largest migrant community in Australia.

Australia is also one of two countries which has a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with the Philippines. —KG, GMA Integrated News