President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday welcomed the visit of Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Marles to the Philippines, noting it would bolster a stronger alliance with its Indo-Pacific neighbor.

“I truly believe that the future lies in strong alliances and in a united front in promoting again the values that we consider important to our countries,” President Marcos said during a courtesy call of a high-ranking Australian government official and his delegation at Malacañang Palace in Manila.

“You are going now to Southern Philippines to welcome a contingent from Australia. So this is extremely important that we are seeing constantly in consultation, and we are seeing to continuously promote the rule of law and the sovereignty of nations,” the chief executive added.

The President noted that the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Marles “will be an important part of the response” to the recent acts by the Chinese Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea.

Among those who attended the subsequent meeting between President Marcos and Deputy Prime Minister Marles were Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Secretary Anton Lagdameo, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Earlier in the day, Galvez and Deputy Prime Minister Marles held a joint press conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

“This visit has demonstrated the steadfast commitment of the Australian and the Philippine government to further deepen our bilateral defense relations between our nations,” Galvez said.

“As Deputy Prime Minister Marles said, Australia’s relationship across the region are founded on history, personal connections and shared interest,” he added.

Both the Philippines and Australian governments are looking forward to elevating their partnership as agreed by the leaders of the two nations in November. (PND)