Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual will travel to Adelaide, South Australia on October 10 to jointly preside over the 6th Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting (PAMM) as the two countries build on their deepening Strategic Partnership.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Manalo and Pascual will fly to Australia upon the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell.
“The 6th PAMM represents an important opportunity to chart the course of the newly established Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and Australia, building upon the recent meeting between President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Manila last month,” the DFA said in a statement.
The two secretaries are expected to discuss “key areas,” such as bilateral trade, investment, and economic relations, security and maritime cooperation, development cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and regional and global issues of mutual interest.
“The Philippines and Australia share a steadfast commitment to advancing peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, amplifying the significance of this meeting,” the statement read.
Manalo and Pascual also “hold strong confidence that the forthcoming PAMM will contribute to the deepening and broadening of cooperation between the Philippines and Australia across diverse domains, ultimately benefiting both our nations,” the DFA statement said.
Australian Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu, during a reception hosted for journalists on Friday, Oct. 6, expressed confidence in the growth of the Philippine economy, which she said could drive more investment between Manila and Canberra.
According to her, the Philippines’ economic growth “is very strong” and the outlook “is very strong” as well.
“So my outlook for the Philippines is very positive. And I’m optimistic that there is a huge, huge increase that is possible between our bilateral trade and investment,” Yu noted.