The Honorable Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; the
Honorable President of the Senate Sue Lines; the Honorable Speaker Milton Dick;
the Honorable Leader of the Opposition Mr. Peter Dutton; Honorable Senators;
members of Parliament, allow me to also greet the 48 Honorable Members of the
Philippines- Australia Parliamentary Group that are present with us here today;
ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
The First Lady and I are delighted to be in Canberra. We are grateful to
Governor General David Hurley for his invitation to us as Guests of Government.
As President of a proud and free country, few other honors surpass this
opportunity to address one of democracy’s most august institutions: the
Parliament of Australia.
The long-standing friendship between our two great nations transcends the 78
years of our formal diplomatic relations.
It is anchored on deep bonds of mutual respect and fond affection which find
concrete expression today, the rich contributions of more than 400,000 Filipinos
to Australia, comprising the fifth largest migrant community in your country
today.
These bonds trace their roots as far back as the 1860s when Filipino pearl
divers, known to you then as the
Manilamen, found their way to your shores as
early purveyors of globalization.
These Manilamen contributed to the Australian economy. They enriched Australian
life. And most importantly, they sparked meaningful connections that have
endured through generations.
When our two nations faced common danger in 1942, Filipino soldiers fought
valiantly in Bataan and Corregidor. They faced the impossible task of holding
back the enemy’s advance, and yet we did.
These efforts helped keep Australia safe. And in return, a grateful Australian
people provided temporary refuge for the wartime Filipino leadership. And, at
the most crucial moment, Australian airmen, sailors, and soldiers fought side by
side with Filipinos as we, together with our allies, turned the tide of war.
Just as Filipinos lost lives to keep Australians safe at the onset of war, so
did Australians offer their lives to restore freedom in the Philippines at the
dawn of peace.
As allies, we engaged actively in shaping the free world’s vision for the
postwar order. We worked to ensure that the new peace would respect the rights
of all nations. As founding members of the United Nations, we turned that vision
into reality.
From the very beginning, we knew that our interests were intertwined. The
security of Australia is bound with the security of the Philippines. When my
father accompanied Prime Minister Whitlam on a sentimental tour of Bataan and Corregidor in 1974, they reaffirmed that core principle.
When I signed our Strategic Partnership with Prime Minister Albanese last
September, we marked a milestone in our deliberate and steady effort to build
opportunities for our peoples, while contributing to regional peace.
All of these further affirm what our two peoples have already forged through
many centuries.
I look back on our shared history to contextualize the role that our respective
nations played and continue today to play at this watershed moment.
Geopolitical polarities and strategic competitions threaten 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.
It has become crucial for us now to envision the shape, the breadth, and the
depth of our Strategic Partnership and how it must move forward as we weather
the storms of global volatility.
I see the way forward in building on the strong ties that have already been
established between our citizens, between our economies, between our
Governments.
Today, we add a further dimension to that relationship as we address concerns on
our security and defense.
We are called upon once again to join forces, together with our partners, in the
face of threats to the rule of law, to stability, and to peace.
For the Philippines, Australia plays a crucial role as one of only two partners
with which the Philippines has a Visiting Forces Agreement.
In August of last year, I witnessed
Exercise Alon, our bilateral amphibious
activity involving 560 Filipino soldiers, 1,200 Australian servicemen, and 120
U.S. marines.
Last November, we welcomed the inaugural Maritime Cooperative Activity between
Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Australian Defense Force in the
Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Let this just be the beginning.
Your leaders have always taken the position that the destiny of Australia is
irrevocably linked to the destiny of Asia. Over the years, you have held true to
this tenet. You have become a valuable member of Asia and of the Indo-Pacific
community.
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.
We have long known that our prosperity and development are anchored on the peace
and stability of the Indo-Pacific.
Today, that peace, that stability, and our continued success, have come under
threat.
Once again, we must come together as partners to face the common challenges
confronting the region. Not one single country can do this by itself. No single
force alone can counter them by themselves.
This is why our Strategic Partnership has grown more important than ever.
We must reinforce each other’s strengths. We must protect the peace that we
fought for during the war and have jealously guarded in the decades since. We
must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law.
As in 1942, the Philippines now finds itself on the frontline against actions
that undermine regional peace, erode regional stability, and threaten regional
success.
Then as now, we remain firm in defending our sovereignty, our sovereign rights,
our jurisdiction.
I shall never tire of repeating the declaration that I made from the first day
that I took office: I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take
even one square inch of our sovereign territory.
The challenges that we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our
resolve.
We will not yield.
Then as now, the security and continued prosperity of the region -- of countries
like Australia -- relies upon that effort.
Just as we fought to build our rules-based international order, so are we now
fighting to protect it.
The protection of the South China Sea as a vital, critical global artery is
crucial to the preservation of regional peace and, I daresay, of global peace.
We have an abiding interest in keeping our seas free and open and in ensuring
unimpeded passage and freedom of navigation. We must uphold, preserve, and
defend the unified and universal character of the
United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea as the constitution of the oceans.
We draw strength from the consistent and unequivocal support of Australia and
the international community for the lawful exercise of our rights, which have
been settled under international law.
And so, on behalf of the Filipino people, I thank you, Australia, for standing
with the Republic of the Philippines.
Ladies and gentlemen, we demonstrate the depth and breadth of our security
cooperation through regular exchanges between our armed forces and our coast
guards, including in the areas of maritime security, counterterrorism,
humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.
We collaborate to strengthen and seek new business links, to bolster our
economic security, and to develop responses to economic coercion.
We work together to promote and enhance the flow of environmentally sustainable
investment and to explore cooperation on mineral resources development and
climate and energy transition, amongst others.
Indeed, we have made good progress since we signed our Strategic Partnership
last year.
Ultimately, our partnership 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.
Beyond our bilateral horizon, we project the commitment in our continued
adherence to ASEAN Centrality, which we will have the opportunity to reaffirm at
the Special Summit between ASEAN and Australia in Melbourne next week.
Beyond the region, we project this commitment, too, in our partnership and
active leadership on the international stage. We collaborate closely with
Australia to strengthen international security and universal adherence to
international humanitarian law.
I salute Prime Minister Albanese’s personal commitment to our vision of a world
free of nuclear weapons. It is a commitment that is shared by all peoples of
Southeast Asia with those of Australia and the Pacific Island States.
Through the
treaties of Bangkok and
Rarotonga, our two regions serve as pockets
of freedom from these destructive weapons. Within the ambit of the ASEAN
Regional Forum and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, our two countries are
champions of nuclear disarmament
and advocates for nuclear risk reduction.
In the context of emerging technologies such as autonomous weapon systems, and
of new frontiers such as outer space and cyberspace, there is much room for our
two countries to work together.
Our collaboration in the United Nations demonstrates the need to continue to
build bridges and to forge consensus towards decisive multilateral solutions.
We cannot allow geopolitics to paralyze global governance.
Now, more than ever, we need multilateralism to work. This is particularly
important given the scope of global cooperation needed to address our most
pressing vulnerability -- one that threatens the very survival of our peoples,
one that threatens our very future.
I speak, of course, of climate change.
My country accepts its part in our collective responsibility. My administration
is committed to accelerating our just, affordable, sustainable, and inclusive
energy transition towards carbon neutrality.
The Philippines has the potential to be a net carbon sink, absorbing more carbon
dioxide than we emit. Yet, we are one of the most climate-vulnerable countries
in the world, ranking first in the 2023 World Risk Index.
This glaring disproportion between our share of responsibility and our
vulnerability reflects an injustice that must be corrected. Developed countries
must do more. And they must do it now.
Our past successes should inspire us to forge ahead in building the future to
which we aspire.
For the Philippines, we continue to see that future in our identity as Asians
and as members of the Pacific family.
Together with our Asian neighbors -- and in that group I include Australia -- we
continue to work for a regional community that empowers all of our citizens.
As Asians, we are committed to fulfilling our region’s promise as a global
engine of growth, and in remaining true to our shared value of mutual respect,
our shared desire to flourish through our diversity.
As part of the Pacific, we carry in our very DNA the heritage of seafaring
civilizations that spanned two oceans. This manifests in the high regard our
cultures place on family, on community, and on the environment.
In Australia we see not only a strong democracy, but an indispensable part of
our Pacific community, a permanent stakeholder in the future of Asia, and a
reliable supporter of ASEAN Centrality.
In Australia we see a natural partner in our efforts to defend, to preserve, to
uphold our open, inclusive, and rules-based international order, to ensure that
it remains governed by international law and informed by the principles of
equity and justice.
In Australia we see a lifelong friend with whom we have endured joint
sacrifices, reveled in our shared victories, and now pursue common aspirations.
All these inspires confidence in the future of our Strategic Partnership.
This confidence is shared not only by our two Governments, but also by our two
peoples.
We see this in the face of the almost 35,000 Filipino students who choose
Australian schools to pursue their respective endeavors, the fifth largest
foreign student population in Australia.
We see this, too, in the nearly 30,000 Australians who work and live with us,
and have chosen to call the Philippines their home.
We see this, more importantly, in the spirit of bayanihan and mateship that
defines our relationship.
Our mateship brought Australians to Tacloban, my mother’s hometown, to bring
relief in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
Our bayanihan brought closure and peace to the families of the gallant
Australians that perished in the sinking of Montevideo Maru in 1942.
And this is the same spirit that now brings our sailors, our airmen, and
soldiers together, shoulder-to-shoulder, in defending our rights and in securing
our common future.
For when the Southern Cross met the Pearl of the Orient, a friendship blossomed,
withstood the test of war, and flourished through changes brought about by a
world in flux.
Looking ahead, I am confident that Filipinos and Australians will remain
steadfast partners, unyielding and uncompromising in our shared values, and
energized as we gird ourselves to work together in the spirit of
bayanihan and
of mateship.
Audio Note: AR-XE = American Rhetoric Extreme Enhancement
Video Note: Stereo enhanced and frame interpolated from 25fps to9
60fps
Page Updated: 3/1/24
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