Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has used a speech to federal parliament to urge Australia’s cooperation in standing up to aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

In an address to a joint sitting of parliament on Thursday, President Marcos said the partnership between the two countries would become even more crucial amid growing regional tensions and territory disputes.

“We must come together as partners to face the common challenges confronting the region, not one single country can do this by itself,” he said.

“No single force can counter them by themselves. This is why our strategic partnership has grown more important than ever, we must reinforce each other’s strengths.”

The visit to Canberra comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a strategic partnership with the Philippines in September 2023 in Manila, being the first bilateral visit to the Asian nation by a sitting prime minister in 20 years.

The agreement saw both countries agree to step up naval patrols in the Indo-Pacific amid tensions over the South China Sea with China.

President Marcos said the Philippines and Australia needed to work together to stand up to autocrats in the Indo-Pacific and to territorial claims.

“The challenges we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our resolve. We will not yield.”

“Then, as now, the security and continued prosperity of the region, of countries like Australia, relies upon that effort. Just as we fought to build our rules-based international order, so are we now fighting to protect it.

“We cannot allow geopolitics to paralyse global governance. Now, more than ever, we need multilateralism to work.”

President Marcos’s two day visit to Canberra comes ahead of the ASEAN Australia summit, being held in Melbourne in March.

He also used the speech to urge further action on climate change, warning the Philippines was one of the countries most at risk by rising temperatures and sea levels.

“This glaring disproportion between our share of responsibility and our vulnerability reflects an injustice that must be corrected,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the fates of the Philippines and Australia were deeply intertwined.

“The new strategic partnership you and I signed together in Manila last year speaks to our mutual trust and our common resolve. I am pleased we are building on this momentum today,” he said.

“Our co-operation is an assertion of our national interest and a recognition of our regional responsibility.”

The two leaders held bilateral talks in Canberra ahead of President Marcos’s address to parliament.

The address was disrupted briefly by Greens Senator Janet Rice, who held up a sign reading “stop human rights abuses” during the speech, before leaving the chamber.

This post was originally published on Michael West.