MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called on the Australian Parliament on Thursday on the need for the Philippines and Australia to join forces along with their allies against threats to the rule of law, to stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Today, we add a further dimension to the 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,” President Marcos told the Parliament of Australia on Thursday.

President Marcos and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed on September 8, 2023 an agreement elevating the bilateral relations between the Philippines and Australia from Comprehensive to Strategic Partnerships, affirming the two countries’ shared interests in regional prosperity and peace.

The President said Australia plays a crucial role as one of the Philippines’ only two partners with which the country has a Visiting Forces Agreement. He added Australia remains steadfast in its commitment to Asia and the Indo-Pacific community.

“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,” President Marcos said.

“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,” he added.

“This is why our Strategic Partnership has grown more important than ever,” the President said.

President Marcos said the Philippines and Australia, along with its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, must reinforce each other’s strength and continue to protect peace and oppose actions that violates international laws.

“We must reinforce each other’s strength. 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,” he said.

President Marcos assured the Australian Parliament that the Philippine government will not waver in its resolve not to allow any foreign power to take even a single square inch of the Philippine sovereignty.

“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,” he said.

“Just as we fought to build our rules-based international order, so are we now fighting to protect it,” he added.

The President also reiterated the country’s stand on the South China Sea issues and vowed an abiding interest in keeping Philippine waters free and open in ensuring unimpeded passage and freedom of navigation.

He said nations 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,” Marcos said.

“And so, on behalf of the Filipino people, I thank you, Australia, for standing with the Republic of the Philippines,” he added.

President Marcos is set to be back in the Philippines on Thursday from a two-day state visit to Canberra. (PND)