Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based independent think tank, named President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as “one of the most interesting, influential and closely watched leaders” in Southeast Asia.
Dr. Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, said on Monday that Marcos’ address in the Australian Parliament last week highlighted his crucial role as a regional leader in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In an official release from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Dr. Fullilove commended the President for the developments he has implemented in the country since he assumed office.
“In the period since his election in 2022, President Marcos has emerged as one of the most interesting, influential, closely watched leaders in Southeast Asia,” Dr. Fullilove said at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.
“If there’s anyone who thinks individuals don’t matter in politics, I’d invite them to look at the changes in the Philippines in the past 18 months, in particular the way that Manila has become so much more determined to defend its sovereignty,” he added.
Marcos was invited for a speaking engagement at the Lowy Institute, during which he was praised for his strong stand on the disputes about the West Philippine Sea.
“We shall never surrender even a square inch of our territory and our maritime jurisdiction,” Marcos said, adding that the Philippine government is upgrading its capabilities to defend its sovereignty.
“We are on the frontline of international efforts to preserve, defend, and uphold the rules-based international order — the same platform from which the postwar Asian economic miracles took off, and upon which the continued prosperity of countries like Australia relies,” he added.
“We, in the Indo-Pacific, cannot ignore the existential impact of great power rivalries upon the survival of our peoples and our communities.”
Marcos recently travelled to Australia to participate in the 50th ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
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