ILOILO ON AUSSIE RADAR: At 80, Australia-Philippines ties look beyond Metro Manila

ILOILO CITY — Australia is looking to expand trade and investment opportunities in Iloilo as part of efforts to deepen economic ties with the Philippines, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Marc Innes-Brown said during his visit to the city on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Innes-Brown said increasing Australian investment in the Philippines is among his key responsibilities as the Australian government continues to implement its Southeast Asia Economic Strategy.

The strategy, launched in September 2023, lays out Australia’s plan to boost trade and investment with Southeast Asia through 2040.

“We’re always looking to expand trade and investment and looking at investment opportunities,” Innes-Brown told reporters.

He cited the recent visit of Australian institutional investors to the Philippines.

Matt Thistlethwaite, Australia’s assistant minister for foreign affairs and trade, met with major Philippine conglomerates, including San Miguel and Aboitiz, to explore economic opportunities.

The Australian Embassy reported that a delegation representing major Australian institutional investors visited the country earlier this month to explore opportunities in energy, infrastructure, and other strategic sectors.

The investors represented almost AUD 1.4 trillion in assets under management.

Innes-Brown said Australia has also supported development projects in Iloilo through its Direct Aid Program, including microgrants for organizations pursuing economic development initiatives.

He also cited an initiative with the University of San Agustin and the Commission on Human Rights as another area of Australian engagement in Iloilo.

“We have multiple strands to our engagement here with Iloilo,” he said.

Innes-Brown said Australia is interested in opportunities outside Metro Manila and wants its companies to consider regional markets for trade and investment.

He cited renewable energy as one possible area.

He said it is important for his team to understand the economic attributes and local policies of each region when Australian companies express interest in sectors such as solar energy.

“As an example, a regional project which is underway is that the Australian government, through its South East Asia Investment Financing Facility, has invested in a solar plant that’s being built at the moment in South Cotabato,” the ambassador said.

The AUD 2 billion facility, managed by Export Finance Australia, provides financing for infrastructure and clean energy projects in Southeast Asia.

Australia also recently launched a five-year, PHP 2 billion economic initiative in the Philippines. The initiative aims to support investment, economic reforms, trade, and priority sectors, including clean energy and resources.

Education, people-to-people ties

Innes-Brown said education remains another area of engagement, citing the Australia Awards scholarships, which allow Filipinos to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in Australia.

He said calls for scholarship applications are posted around April on the Australian Embassy’s website and social media platforms.

The ambassador said more than 60 people from Iloilo City and nearly 130 across Western Visayas have studied in Australia through Australia Awards scholarships.

The scholarships cover tuition, travel, living allowances, and health insurance.

Innes-Brown said Australia and the Philippines are marking 80 years of diplomatic relations this year.

The Australian Embassy said formal relations began with the opening of Australia’s consulate in Manila on May 22, 1946. The date is observed annually as Philippines-Australia Friendship Day.

Innes-Brown noted that Iloilo hosted the Philippines-Australia Friendship Day celebration in 2023, while this year’s event was held in Quezon City.

Defense, maritime cooperation

On defense cooperation, Innes-Brown said Australia conducted 200 separate cooperative activities with the Philippines across the country last year.

These included joint maritime activities, land training, diving, and disaster preparedness and response, he said.

He said the two countries are also expected to sign a new defense cooperation arrangement later this year.

Australian troops currently train in the Philippines under the two countries’ Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, which took effect in 2012.

In July, Australia announced an additional PHP 413 million package for drone technology and operator training for the Philippine Coast Guard. The package brings Australia’s drone assistance to the agency to PHP 578 million since April 2025.

Innes-Brown said Australia has provided law of the sea training to more than 800 Philippine officials from about 30 agencies.

“It’s important to know what the laws of the sea are when you’re talking about these kinds of incidents,” he said.

On recent tensions in the South China Sea, Innes-Brown said Australia was “deeply concerned” by reports of ramming and dangerous maneuvers involving Philippine vessels and a China Coast Guard vessel.

He said Australia urged all parties to respect international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also called on them to preserve peace, stability, and maritime safety in the Indo-Pacific.

In 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under the convention ruled that China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has refused to recognize.

He added that Australia supports the Philippines through cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, including joint maritime cooperative activities.

Iloilo-Australia ties

Innes-Brown said his meeting with Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas focused on the city’s priorities, including education and health, as well as the broader Australia-Philippines relationship.

He said Iloilo remains an important part of Australia’s relationship with the Philippines, citing recent engagements, including a visit by an Australian parliamentary delegation.

“More broadly on the bilateral relationship at the national level, the relationship’s at a high point,” he said.

Data from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade show that two-way trade between Australia and the Philippines reached AUD 10.8 billion in 2025.

The department estimates Australia’s total official development assistance to the Philippines at AUD 104.6 million for fiscal year 2026-27.

Innes-Brown said Australia wants to further increase investment while continuing cooperation in economic, cultural, and security areas.

“[A]s I said to President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] when I came here, the Philippines is [an] increasingly significant country for Australia,” he said.

The ambassador also praised Iloilo’s infrastructure, historical buildings, and cultural heritage.

“I can sense the richness and the culture here and the history, and it looks like a very well-developed city,” he said, citing the city’s international recognition for cleanliness and gastronomy.

UNESCO designated Iloilo City a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2023, the first Philippine city recognized in that category.

“This is a great city,” he said, adding that he would like to bring his family back to Iloilo.