After concluding its joint patrol with the United States military in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Philippines kicked off a new maritime cooperative activity (MCA) with Australia on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The MCA was an offshoot of the signing of a "Strategic Partnership" agreement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in September which established an enduring framework for closer cooperation between the two countries.
A joint statement released by Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said that the three-day event will involve troops from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Australian Defence Force (ADF).
They will conduct a series of maritime exercises including a first-ever joint patrol in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines until Nov. 27.
"Australia and the Philippines are firmly committed to a peaceful, secure and prosperous region, where sovereignty and agreed rules and norms are respected. The first joint patrol between the Australian Defence Force and Armed Forces of the Philippines demonstrates this important commitment," Marles said.
Philippine Navy (PN) vessels BRP Gregorio del Pilar and BRP Davao Del Sur, and five Philippine Air Force (PAF) surveillance aircraft will conduct joint patrol and maritime exercises with Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Toowoomba and a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A maritime surveillance aircraft.
Teodoro and Marles said the MCA highlighted both countries' shared commitment to exercising freedom of navigation and overflight "consistent with international law, in support of a peaceful, secure and stable Indo-Pacific."
"The Philippines and Australia are longstanding defense partners. The Philippines welcomes bilateral activities with Australia, and other like-minded partners, that promote and maintain a rules-based international order," Teodoro said.
The activity began just as the AFP concluded an MCA with the US Indo-Pacific Command on Nov. 23 where troops from both countries conducted a joint patrol in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a move frowned upon by China.
The Philippines and Australia both support the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reaffirm the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award, which invalidated China's massive claims in the south China Sea, as final and legally binding on both parties.