Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles MP on Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. at the Malacañang.
In a statement on his Facebook account, Marcos said he was delighted by Marles' courtesy call.
"Our goal is to continue nurturing and elevating our bilateral and regional relationships for the shared benefit of our peoples," he said.
Meanwhile, the Australian Deputy Prime Minister also paid a visit to the office of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
According to Duterte, they had discussed the cooperation between the Philippines and the United States in the field of education as well as the importance of security in the country's progress.
"Dito ko rin naibahagi na "gaining peace is relatively easy, sustaining peace is difficult," kaya kailangan ang patuloy na pagtutulungan ng lahat ng sektor para mapanatili ang kapayapaan," she said in a statement on Facebook.
On the same day, Marles went to Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, where he met his counterpart, Defense Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
Marles arrived in the country on Tuesday, February 21, carrying the hopes of deepening Australia and the Philippines' engagement.
