President Marcos said the strategic partnership between the Philippines and Australia has become vital to countering and resolving geopolitical polarities and strategic competitions that threaten peace in the region.

Marcos said this as he addressed the Parliament of Australia in Canberra on Thursday morning, Feb. 29.

In his speech, the President said the strategic partnership signed by the two countries in September last year is part of a deliberate effort to build opportunities for their peoples while contributing to regional peace that is currently under threat.

"Geopolitical polarities and strategic competitions threaten our hard-won peace even as we remain beset by unresolved inequities and inequalities within and amongst nations," he said.

"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," he added.

According to Marcos, both countries must unite against efforts to destabilize the rule of law and the peace that was established since World War II.

"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," he said.

"This is why our strategic partnership has grown more important than ever. We must reinforce each other's strengths... We must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law," he added.

President Marcos highlighted the importance of rules-based order and that there are threats that jeopardize the achievements the region has attained.

"Our two countries have always understood that without the predictability and stability of our rules-based order, our region would not have emerged as a driver of the global economy as it is today," he said.

"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," he added.

Marcos is in Canberra for a two-day State Visit upon the invitation of the Australian government. He will return to Australia next week for a commemorative summit between Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)