President “Bongbong” Marcos has welcomed the assurance of unwavering support for ASEAN Unity and Centrality by the QUAD strategic security dialogue, and reiterated Manila’s full commitment to uphold regional peace and security, .
Quad is a strategic security dialogue among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. It strongly advocates freedom of navigation in the seas linking Japan, China, ASEAN countries, down to the Indian Ocean and to Australia where a huge volume of global trade regularly passes through.
In remarks during the dialogue’s meeting in Cambodia, Marcos likewise emphasized the need for all concerned parties “to ensure that any activity in the region’s waterways adhere to the rule of law, particularly in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to ensure peace, stability, and prosperity.”
Marcos also took advantage of the dialogue event to express gratitude to Japan for its continued support for the Philippines’ disaster management and Covid-19 response, as well as for being home to over 250,000 Filipinos.
“I cannot end my remarks without expressing my appreciation for Japan’s hospitality and protection for over 250,000 Filipinos who now call Japan their home. They have been taken in by the Japanese people and have now found a place to live and work happily. For that we will always be grateful,” he stressed.