Officially, relations between the Philippines and Australia started in 1946, immediately after the former gained its independence from the United States. However, historical people-to-people relations date back much earlier, when Filipino pearl divers first arrived in two locations: namely, in Broome, Western Australia, and Thursday Island in Queensland in the late 19th century.
At present, Broome continues to hold annual festivities to honor migrants who first arrived as pearl divers, and traces of Filipino influence can be found in the local cuisine, including their version of Filipino dishes, such as adobo.
Any student of military history will be delighted by the wealth of resources one can find in Philippine-Australian shared histories.
Philippine Revolution
Australia had an unwitting role during the Philippine revolution against Spain. Two pearl divers from Aklan, Francisco del Castillo and Candido Iban, won the lottery and decided to donate proceeds to the Katipunan. They eventually joined the organization, became leaders in the Visayas, and died as martyrs. A monument now stands in their honor at the Aklan Freedom Shrine in Kalibo.
Heriverto Zarcal was a wealthy Filipino businessman in Thursday Island who became a de facto Philippine representative in Australia, because he was a member of General Emilio Aguinaldo’s Revolutionary Council. He contributed regularly to the revolutionary cause and showed his patriotism by naming his building Noli me Tangere and his three ships Natividad, Llanera and Aguinaldo.
World War I
Retired Major Paul Rosenzweig, a former Australian diplomat assigned in Manila, found in his research that many Filipino-Australians joined the Australian Imperial Forces in Europe. The Philippines has the equivalent of the Australian movie The Water Diviner in the story of the three Ga (or Garr) brothers from Thursday Island who enlisted at the same time. One was discharged for poor health and died later in Australia, one died in battle in France, while another in Belgium in the Battle of Westhoek Ridge.
World War II
The second World War saw the widest military engagement between the two countries, as 21 Filipinos died during the bombing of Darwin, including 16 merchant mariners.
On the other hand, more than 4,000 Australians participated in the liberation of the Philippines, as 92 nationals died in battle. A little-known fact was that after the fall of Bataan and Corregidor, then-President Manuel Quezon first established his government-in-exile in Melbourne, at the residence of the Lord Mayor of Melbourne E. Leo Curtis.
Sgt. Lorenzo Gamboa was a Filipino who enlisted with the US Army and became the face of the movement against the White Australia policy immediately after the war, after being refused permanent residency in Australia, despite being married to an Australian.
Continuing engagements
At present, the Philippines and Australia continue their strong engagement in the defense and security realms, in areas such as humanitarian and disaster-relief assistance, technology transfer, personnel development, military exercises and peacekeeping operations.
Australia plays a major role in countering violent extremism in the region, evident in its significant contributions in the battle to liberate Marawi City from terrorist elements in 2017. It can be stated that Philippine-Australian relations are anchored on the values of democracy and shared history. As seen from the examples, there exists a wealth of deep engagements with the relationship which can be highlighted or called upon for inspiration.
DFA
Image credits: DFA, Ret. Major Paul Rosenzweig/DFA, Australian War Memorial/DFA, STATE LIBRARY OF QUEENSLAND/DFA