MELBOURNE, Australia — Eight decades after Australia and the Philippines became allies during World War II, both countries are expanding security and maritime cooperation amid tensions in the Indo-Pacific and the West Philippine Sea.
Philippine Ambassador to Australia Antonio Morales said Wednesday that relations between Manila and Canberra have evolved beyond trade and diplomacy to include deeper regional security and defense cooperation.
“Philippines is Australia’s strategic partner,” Morales told Filipino journalists participating in the International Media Visits (IMV) program organized by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in Melbourne.
“It’s a very important partner of the Philippines. And our relations have been historic and longstanding,” he added.
The remarks come as both countries mark 80 years of diplomatic relations this year amid expanded military exercises, interoperability efforts, and broader maritime security cooperation.
Morales pointed to the scale of military engagement between Manila and Canberra, including Australia’s participation in joint exercises in the Philippines and Philippine involvement in Australian-led drills.
He cited Exercise ALON as an example of the scale of recent defense cooperation, describing it as “reputedly the biggest military exercise of Australian troops outside Australia being held in the Philippines.”
He also pointed to Australia’s participation in Balikatan exercises alongside U.S. and Philippine forces, while Philippine troops have joined exercises such as Pitch Black and Kakadu in Australia.
During the Kakadu naval exercise, the Philippines deployed BRP Diego Silang to Sydney.
The expanding defense partnership reflects shared security concerns in the Indo-Pacific and the West Philippine Sea.
“We see ourselves working together for the maintenance of international peace, for a rules-based international order, for freedom of navigation, not just in the West Philippine Sea, but in all international waterways,” Morales said.
“And for upholding the rule of law, and particularly the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea,” he added.
Recent meetings between Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles also underscored plans to deepen interoperability, maritime cooperation, joint exercises, and defense coordination.
Aboard HMAS Canberra on Monday, Australian naval officer Captain David McPherson said the expanding scope of military drills between Australia and the Philippines is meant to ensure both sides can work together effectively during emergencies and crises.
“If you don’t exercise something, if it’s ever required, it won’t go according to plan,” McPherson said.
“The human-to-human interaction is key and it brings a common basis of interoperability,” he added.
McPherson also said military engagements between allies and partners help build relationships and communication channels that become important during periods of tension and uncertainty in the region.
While defense cooperation has accelerated in recent years, Morales emphasized that the relationship is also anchored on migration, shared history, and people-to-people connections stretching back more than a century.
He recalled how Filipino pearl divers worked in northern and western Australia during the late 1800s, with some marrying indigenous Australians from the Yawuru community.
“Their descendants still live there now,” Morales said.
“I was happy to note that despite after the several generations, they still retain the names, the culture, the cuisine, the Christian faith, the Catholic faith of Filipinos,’ he stated.
Today, Morales said more than 400,000 Filipinos and Australians of Filipino descent live across Australia, with large communities in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Western Australia, and Darwin.
“The Filipino diaspora is the bridge that connects us on a daily basis, and is the very strong foundation of our relations,” Morales said.
Economic ties, however, remain an area both countries are still trying to strengthen despite growing strategic and defense cooperation.
Morales acknowledged that Australian investments in the Philippines have historically not been high, although both governments and business groups continue to push for stronger engagement in sectors such as mining, renewable energy, tourism, logistics, and infrastructure.
He said Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy was partly designed to encourage more Australian investments in the region, including the Philippines.
