Today, 22 May, we mark the very first Philippines Australia Friendship Day, proclaimed by Presidential decree in 2016, to mark the 70th anniversary of our formal bilateral relationship. True friendship reflects the past, present and the future. It endures through good times and bad and can accommodate the occasional disagreement.These are the hallmarks of the friendship between Australia and the Philippines.
Today I am delighted to join with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to unveil a historical marker at the Manila Hotel, the site of Australia’s first diplomatic representation here. This marker will symbolise the bonds of friendship forged during the worst of times, WWII, when Australians fought and died alongside Filipinos to safeguard our freedom and shared values. Australia was quick off the mark in 1946 to establish diplomatic relations with the newly independent Philippine nation, to formalise the friendship that had already existed for many years.
Our present day friendship has evolved into a diverse relationship encompassing cooperation across many fronts, embodied in the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement concluded in 2015.
This includes defence (we recently had 90 personnel participating in Exercise Balikatan 2017) and law enforcement (where we work closely with Philippine authorities to tackle transnational crime).
Filipinos are travelling to Australia and living there in record numbers taking advantage of affordable daily flights visiting family, working and enjoying our incredible lifestyle, tourist and study destinations. Our trade and investment relationship is solid but there is strong potential for further growth.
Australia’s development partnership with the Philippines increasingly focuses on Mindanao. We believe a stable and prosperous Mindanao will not only benefit the people who live there, but also the whole of the Philippines and our broader Asia Pacific region. That is why we are committed to supporting the peace process because inclusive peace is essential to economic development.
I was in Cotabato last week and visited a number of schools that have benefited from Australian support to the education sector in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
We are now putting in place our new Pathways education program, committing 3.4 billion pesos over the next nine year to education development in the ARMM. Our development programs are very concrete manifestations of Australia’s friendship with the Philippines.
Many friendships go through times of strain and this has certainly been the case at various times during the last 71 years. The Philippines did not give up on Australia when our now long gone immigration policies favoured people of European descent.
Likewise, Australia stood by the Philippines during the tumultuous years of martial law, when democracy took a back seat. There were undoubtedly some difficult conversations over those periods in our history.
Today too we may have differences of opinion but we can speak frankly and respectfully to each other as friends.
Australia, for example, is opposed to the reintroduction of the death penalty in the Philippines and we advocate actively on this with our Filipino counterparts. Australians have a word for special friendship – mateship – reflecting the deep bonds that develop often through shared adversity and experiences.
The mateship between the people of Australia and the Philippines is warm and resilient, transcending politics. That is why we have chosen the hashtag #AUPHWeAreMates to mark the first Friendship Day.
Last week I caught a glimpse of the future friendship between the Philippines and Australia as I farewelled 67 excited Filipinos heading to Australia on scholarships to study at Australian universities. This excited and expectant group of students will have life changing experience in Australia and will make a strong contribution to the Philippines on their return. They will develop a better understanding of Australia through the enriching experience of living, studying and working there.
I hope that this experience will remain in their hearts and minds for the rest of their lives as they write the next chapter in this wonderful intergenerational friendship between our two countries.
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