President Marcos said the Philippines was able to set the "right tone" for regional discussions this year during his participation in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne.

"This ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-Australia Special Summit is the first Leader-level engagement under the Chairmanship of Lao PDR and I am confident that we have set the right tone for regional discussions for the year," Marcos said in his recorded arrival of statement on Wednesday night, March 6.

Marcos emphasized that the summit has provided an avenue to discuss regional and international issues related to achieving peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

He further said it provided a chance to talk about how the region could contribute to maintaining regional stability.

“The Summit provided an opportunity to discuss regional and international issues and how ASEAN and individual member states such as the Philippines may contribute to the peace, security, and prosperity of our immediate neighborhood: the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

“As a commemorative summit, it also provided a chance to take stock of how the ASEAN-Australia relationship has progressed in the last fifty years [and] how we may, together, move forward as we advance common values such as peace, environmental stewardship, and how mutual economic progress benefits both Australia and ASEAN,” he pointed out.

Marcos also expressed his commitment to continue the country's "constructive engagements" with ASEAN and Australia in promoting regional peace and stability.

The President added that the sidelines of the summit also provided a venue to promote Philippine interests as he met with Australian business leaders and held bilateral talks with the prime ministers of New Zealand and Cambodia.

"I am confident that linkages are created through this engagement led by our Department of Trade and Industry," he said, disclosing that they have secured 12 business agreements on renewable energy, clean technology, and recycling solutions, housing, IT-BPM infrastructure, medical devices, and digital health services.

While in Australia, the President has once again made his stance on regional issues such as the tension in the West Philippine Sea known to the international community. He reiterated that the Philippines would continue to protect its maritime territory and defend it from aggressions, stressing that the country will not give up an inch of its territory to any foreign power.

In one of his engagements, he also pronounced that the Philippines will not be a mere pawn amid tensions between world superpowers.

Marcos and the Philippine delegation arrived in Manila at 11:34 p.m. on Wednesday.