PROMINENT Davaoeños, members of the country’s diplomatic corps and the Australian Global Alumni, as well as art lovers, recently celebrated this year’s Philippine-Australia Friendship Day in Davao City.
A joint project of the Embassy of Australia in the Philippines and SM Lanang Premier, the festivities commemorated the 72nd year of diplomatic ties between the two nations. The country fondly known as the “Land Down Under” opened its first consulate general in Manila on May 22, 1946.
Linkages between the Philippines and Australia have since encompassed people-to-people connections, partnerships in education, trade and investment, development and humanitarian assistance, as well as defense and law-enforcement cooperation.
The event highlighted milestones in the warm bilateral relations bridging the two countries. Representatives of the Philippines’s Australia Global Alumni took the spotlight as they delivered professional development talks to mall-goers present.
Australia’s Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely graced the celebrations together with the embassy’s Political and Public Affairs Counselor Clare Duffield, Davao City’s local government officials and SM Supermalls executives.
The three-day festival at SM Lanang Premier included a food-and-retail fair, which featured Australia Global Alumni members’ owned businesses, an education fair and visa information sessions. The public also took part in a mall promotion sponsored by Qantas Airways, Australia’s flag carrier.
It also presented a cultural-exchange segment that featured an indigenous art exhibition, a book launch by Australian authors Jay MacLean and Carlos Batuto Lopez, as well as a mini-concert top-billed by Asia’s Queen of Songs Pilita Corrales and indigenous didgeridoo player Jeremy Donovan from Northern Australia.
The weekend fair featured a series of education, cultural and sporting activities to celebrate the long-standing and vibrant friendship of Australia with Mindanao and Davao City.
Through the years, Australia’s development and security cooperation in the country has prioritized the southern parts of the Philippines—particularly in Mindanao—as it continues to closely collaborate on programs in education, research, livelihood, as well as peace and stability.