AMBASSADOR of Australia Steven J. Robinson AO hosted this year’s Philippines-Australia Friendship Day in the presence of top government officials.
Former Philippine president and Pampanga Second District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former secretary of foreign affairs Delia Albert, Bangko Sentral Governor Benjamin Diokno, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Assistant Foreign Affairs Secretary Nathaniel Imperial, and Armed Forces of the Philippines’s Chief of Staff General Andres Centino joined Robinson in the festivities on May 19 in Taguig City.
The commonwealth’s envoy said; “We are celebrating the depth of the friendship and partnership between Australia and the Philippines, which has stood firm throughout good times and bad—including especially the events of the past year. I am confident the Australian tradition of mateship, which admirably aligns with the [Filipino spirit of bayanihan, will still] form the bedrock of the mutual support we provide each other.”
The Philippines is one of Australia’s longest-standing bilateral relationships, according to the latter’s embassy in Manila. Its first consulate-general in the Philippine capital was established on May 22, 1946, the date of which is now yearly celebrated as Friendship Day of the two countries.
“We are very pleased to be one of only five countries with an annual friendship-day celebration; in our case, on May 22, as set out in Presidential Proclamation 1282,” said Robinson. “This is an opportunity to [commemorate] our strong links each year.”
Both nations cooperate closely across a range of areas, including defense, counterterrorism, law enforcement, education, and development. Australia is the third-largest source of official development assistance, or ODA, to the Philippines, with AU$84 million (P3.15 billion) in 2020 and 2021 strategically deployed to support local pandemic response and recovery plans.