Australia and Philippines Strengthen Strategic Partnership Amidst Philippines' Internal Turmoil

Australia's relationship with the Philippines is significant and has been elevated to a strategic partnership in 2023, according to John West, economist and executive director of the Asian Century Institute. The two countries have maintained relations for 80 years, and the Filipino community is one of the largest migrant communities in Australia.

West noted that the Philippines' shift towards becoming a middle power has strengthened ties with Canada, Japan, and India, but its democracy remains flawed, ranking 62nd out of 167 on the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index. The prevalence of dynastic politics constrains the nation's capacity to function within democratic structures.

The current President, Bongbong Marcos, is the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and his daughter Sara Duterte, Vice President, faces trial in the ICC later this year on charges of widespread brutality during her father's presidency. Despite being Asia's second-largest economy in the 1950s, the Philippines today sits in the lower half of Asian economies.