MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a security-centric speech before the Australian Parliament on Thursday, February 29, joining an elite list of foreign leaders who had addressed the legislative body in the past.

“We have long known that our prosperity and development are anchored on the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific. Today, that peace, that stability, and our continued success, have come under threat,” he said.

Here are the highlights of his 17-minute speech, which was met with a round of applause and standing ovation from Australian lawmakers.

South China Sea

In many of his foreign trips, Marcos takes advantage of the international stage to highlight developments in the South China Sea, which Beijing continues to claim entirely despite a 2016 arbitral ruling against its favor.

Marcos’ speech on Thursday was no exception, thanking Australia for adhering to international rules-based order.

“The protection of the South China Sea as a vital, critical global artery is crucial to the preservation of regional peace and, I dare say, of global peace,” Marcos said.

“We have an abiding interest in keeping our seas free and open and in ensuring unimpeded passage and freedom of navigation. We must uphold, preserve, and defend the unified and universal character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the constitution of the oceans,” he added.

Just before he departed for Australia, Marcos told reporters that the presence of Chinese warships in the West Philippine Sea was “worrisome.”

In the past months, Beijing and Canberra have agreed to improve diplomatic ties, after going through a rough patch in recent years.

Nuclear arms

Marcos commended Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for expressing his commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons.

“Through the treaties of Bangkok and Rarotonga, our two regions serve as pockets of freedom from these destructive weapons. Within the ambit of the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, our two countries are champions of nuclear disarmament and advocates for nuclear risk reduction,” he said.

In past foreign outings, Marcos sounded the alarm on the threats posed by the “buildup of rising powers in global weapon stockpiles,” particularly in North Korea, and in connection with the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Climate change

Marcos said climate change remains the world’s “most pressing vulnerability,” one which “threatens the very survival of our peoples, one that threatens our very future.”

“We cannot allow geopolitics to paralyze global governance,” he said.

“This glaring disproportion between our share of responsibility and our vulnerability reflects an injustice that must be corrected. Developed countries must do more. And they must do it now,” he added.

In December, the Philippines secured a seat in the board of the loss and damage fund, which would assist vulnerable countries in responding to phenomena aggravated by climate change.

Strategic partnership

Marcos highlighted the long ties between Manila and Canberra, which are celebrating 78 years of diplomatic relations this year. Both nations fought side by side during World War II.

He noted that Australia is the only country aside from the US with a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the Philippines.

Marcos also invoked personal history, saying his father and namesake, the late fictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. toured then-Australian prime minister Edward Gough Whitlam in Bataan and Corregidor in 1974, and that Australia brought relief to his mother Imelda’s hometown Tacloban in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.

“In Australia we see a lifelong friend with whom we have endured joint sacrifices, reveled in our shared victories, and now pursue common aspirations,” he said.

Speaking before the Australian Parliament is a great honor, and the invitation received by Marcos highlights the key role that the Philippines plays in geopolitical relations.

Other world leaders who delivered a speech before the legislative body include former US presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton; Chinese President Xi Jinping and his predecessor Hu Jintao, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. – Rappler.com