PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday told Filipinos in Australia to cherish their heritage and acknowledged their contributions to the country, from their remittances to showcasing how hardworking, helpful and hospitable Filipinos are.
Around 408,000 Filipinos are in Australia, most of them employed as workers in crafts and related trade; are professional service and sales workers; skilled agriculture, forestry and fishery workers; technicians; associate professionals and managers, according to data from the Department of Foreign Affairs. There are also at least 17,800 Filipino students in Australia.
The President thanked the Filipinos for their sacrifices and contributions, which has also earned them the title of “Kings and Queens of overtime.”
He said in return, the government is committed to improving the lives and livelihood of Filipinos amid challenges from threats from climate change and war to social media and artificial intelligence developments.
Marcos also said this is the reason behind his pursuit of the “Bagong Pilipinas” which not only addresses the needs and promises to improve the lives of Filipinos but also highlights how good Filipinos are and at par with other nationalities in the world.
He urged Filipinos abroad to return and visit the Philippines and bring along their families to learn more about the country.
The President also asked them to pass on their love for the Philippines to their children.
The President is in Melbourne for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australian Special Summit which is highlighted by the 50th year anniversary of the ASEAN-Australian relations.
The summit will formally open late today, followed by the Prime Minister’s reception and the Leader’s Spouses dinner.
The summit proper which includes the Leaders’ Plenary Meeting, Luncheon Meeting and Retreat will be held on Wednesday.
Marcos is expected to have a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minster Christopher Luxon today, followed by meetings with business executives before the opening of the ASEAN-Australia summit.
The Australian independent think tank Lowy Institute said Marcos is emerging as “one of the most interesting, influential and closely-watched leaders” in Southeast Asia.
Executive director Dr. Michael Fullilove highlighted Marcos’ visit to Canberra last week when addressed the Australian Parliament, which he said is proof of the President’s “crucial role as a regional leader in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
“In the period since his election in 2022, President Marcos has emerged as one of the most interesting, influential, closely watched leaders in Southeast Asia,” Fullilove said.
“If there’s anyone who thinks individuals don’t matter in politics, I’d invite them to look at the changes in the Philippines in the past 18 months, in particular the way that Manila has become so much more determined to defend its sovereignty,” he added.
Marcos, who thanked Fullilove for his observations, talked about the Philippine views on the emerging rivalries between the United States and China and reiterated the Philippines stand on the West Philippine Sea disputes.
Marcos said the global “great powers” which are the US and China, should not treat the world as an “arena for their competition,” and at the expense of the smaller nations or the regional and international peace.
He said the future of the Indo-Pacific region will not be shaped by one or two, “but by many actors, and they will each demand that their voices be heard, individually and collectively, as indeed they should be.”
“Thus, the Philippines begins any conversation regarding great power competition with a strong rejection of any, any subordination of our distinct national interests and denial of our sovereignty and strategic agency,” he added.
Marcos said the country understands that widening geopolitical polarities around the world and the sharpening strategic competition between China and the United States have become a reality that is permeating the regional strategic environment.