The Australian government is seeing the opportunity in Mindanao, particularly in Davao, to expand its bilateral engagement.
Citing Mindanao especially Davao’s economic growth, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely said the areas for expansion are on trade and investment although Australia’s presence has been in Mindanao mostly in the area of development cooperation.
Gorely led the Austrade team for the launch of “Australia in Davao” Monday at Marco Polo to present to the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCI) the broader Philippines-Australia bilateral relationship and the current priority agenda of the Australian government.
In Mindanao, Australia works with local governments, organizations and non-government organizations to support various programs.
“President (Rodrigo) Duterte has done much to shine the spotlight on Mindanao, and we are pleased that Australia’s development cooperation in the region over the years align with the Administration’s economic and development agenda,” Gorely said.
Among the programs was the Australian-funded Provincial Road Management Facility (PRMF) for seven provinces in Mindanao wherein 170.2 kilometer of roads were rehabilitated and maintained 161.7 kilometers with a total fund of P655 million.
These improvements helped improve access to markets, health facilities and schools, the Australian Embassy reported.
Gorely also reported an investment of AUD million (P3.5 billion) over five years to support Basic Education Assistance in Muslim Mindanao (BEAM-ARMM). Under the program, 12,000 teachers were trained, 800 learning centers established and technical and vocational skills trainings were provided to 11,000 out-of-school youths.
Gorely said the Philippines and Australia have common peculiarities as their geographic and climatic conditions that drive both to innovate and integrate into the Asia Pacific economy.
While Philippines has a 6.8-percent GDP (Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate, Gorely said Australia has continually achieved an annual average growth rate of 3.3 percent.
Gorely was positive that Philippines and Australia’s economic growth performance creates new, mutually-beneficial opportunities for trade, investment and business.
“Together, we can collaborate to ensure the benefits of the ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) are fully seized, that the private sector in our respective countries do explore new business opportunities-which is what today is about; and that business regulations, competitiveness and productivity continue to be improved,” Gorely said in her speech before the DCCCI officers.
Besides trade and investment ties, Gorely said the relationship between the Philippines and Australia has grown to encompass an increasing people-to-people link, development assistance towards sustainable growth, defence and law enforcement cooperation.
Gorely said there’s still the 2015 Joint Declaration on Philippines-Australia Comprehensive Partnership which provides a framework to broaden and deepen the already long collaboration spanning 70 years. They are still encouraging people-to-people links through other areas like cultural exchange, education, tourism and migration, she said.
She said there already 250,000 Filipinos who made Australia their home and continue to make contributions to Australian society. Of the 250,000 Filipinos, Gorely said, 10,000 are students.
But the number of students is expected to increase with Australia’s continued offer of scholarships, fellowships and short-term training. To date, there are already 3,500 Filipinos in this program. (PNA)
