President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. left early Sunday, March 3, to attend the Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Australia from March 4 to March 6.
Malacañang said that Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Marcos to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia relations that started in 1974.
In his departure speech, the chief executive said the ASEAN Summit will serve as an opportunity for the Philippines to express its deep gratitude to Australia for supporting the rule of law for the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seam and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
Marcos will be holding bilateral meetings with Cambodian and New Zealand leaders during his three-day visit in Melbourne.
He is also scheduled to visit the Filipino Community in Australia on March 4 and be joining the Philippine Business Forum spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry on March 5, where he will be giving his speech at the Victoria International Container Terminal.
On February 28, the president went to Canberra, Australia, to address the Australian Parliament, where he discussed international order and security threats in the South China Sea.
