President Marcos has arrived in Melbourne, Australia for his participation at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit.
Marcos together with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and the Philippine delegation arrived at the Melbourne Airport at 7:15 p.m. (4:15 p.m. Manila time).
The President will be in Melbourne until March 6. It was his second trip to the country within the week as this followed his two-day trip in Canberra on Feb. 28, where he was invited to address the Australian Parliament.
During his participation in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, Marcos is expected to reiterate the position of the Philippines on the regional and international issues and thank the Australian government for its support for the rule of law.
He is also set to hold bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and New Zealand to further strengthen the countries’ cooperation.
The Chief Executive will also meet with the Filipino community in Melbourne and promote business through the Philippine Business Forum of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The bilateral ties between the Philippines and Australia span 77 years since its establishment on July 4, 1946.
Marcos and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an agreement in September last year, elevating the bilateral relationship of the Philippines and Australia from comprehensive to strategic partnership. They also sealed three agreements during Marcos' visit to Canberra.
Australia continues to support the Philippines as the country’s 11th largest source of total Official Development Assistance (ODA) with grant commitments amounting to $180.4 million, as it serves as the second home to at least 408,000 Filipinos and Australians of Filipino descent.