PNoy's SPEECH IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / VIDEO: WITH FILIPINO
COMMUNITY
VIDEO" PRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO III MEETS FILIPINO COMMUNITY
IN AUSTRALIA
[VIDEO -More than a thousand Filipinos
living and working in Australia warmly welcomed President Benigno S. Aquino III
on his last day of visit in the country. In a meeting with the Filipino
community held at John Therry Catholic High School in Rosemeadow, Campbelltown
City, the President cited various developments in the Philippine economy and
government. He told the Filipino community here that those positive changes
became possible through the help and support of each and every Filipino abroad.
He reassured that his administration will continue to do what is best for the
country until it achieves full progress and growth. There are a total of 224,732
Filipinos in Australia according to the Australian Department of Immigration and
Citizenship. The community is one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in New
South Wales. Mostly reside in 38 cities and urban areas in NSW. The Philippines
currently ranks as the fourth largest source of skilled migrants in
Australia.]
REMARKS OF PRESIDENT NOY AQUINO AT LUNCHEON, HOUSE OF
PARLIAMENT, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
[PHOTO -President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino III, left, shares a
laugh with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at Parliament House in
Canberra, Australia Wednesday. AP PHOTO]
MANILA, OCTOBER 29, 2012 (OFFICIAL GAZETTE OF THE
PRESIDENT OF THE PHL) Remarks of His Excellency
Benigno S. Aquino III President of the Philippines At the lunch hosted by
Premier Barry O'Farrell [Delivered at Strangers Dining Room, Parliament House,
Sydney, Australia, on October 25, 2012]
Thank you. Good noon.
Honorable Barry O'Farrell, Premier of New South Wales; Honorable Christopher
Hartcher, Minister for Resources; Honorable Gregory Pearce; Honorable Victor
Dominello; Honarable Don Harwin; Secretary Albert del Rosario; Ambassador
William Twedell; Ambassador Belen Anota; other members of the cabinets present;
Consul General; Mr. John Robertson; members of the Parliament; members of the
Philippine and Australian business delegations; honored guests:
Before I begin with the formal speech—and I apologize to those who have heard
it last night, but I think it bears repeating—Australia really has a special
place in my heart. And I'm not talking about MacArthur's visit here; I was a bit
too young at that time. [Laughter] But during the Martial Law years—the start of
the Martial Law years—members of our household staff were not spared of the
horrors of Martial Law.
Some of them are picked up arbitrarily, not through virtue of a warrant of
arrest signed by a competent court, but merely the say-so of the Martial Law
administration. And one of them was being—well, most of those who were picked up
were being forced to turn and give false witness against my father.
Some of them were no longer in our employment having gotten married. And, one
of them in particular disappeared at the start of Martial Law, returns to our
household wearing sunglasses because underneath, his eyes are so puffed up, his
cheeks are so swollen, and he had—I think if at all—three pieces of his teeth
remaining because of the beatings that he suffered under the tortures of the
Martial Law regime.
And, why did I mention this? There was talk and there was fear that if he
refused to turn witness against my father, he would eventually be killed. And
unfortunately, the Martial Law regime actually coined the phrase called
"salvaging" when they want to have enforced disappearances or extrajudicial
killing.
And the connection with Australia is this: My parents had a very good and
dear Australian friend. He cooperated, conspired with my mother to finally
smuggle this person out of the country. And, as a very young kid, I do recall
going to the airport not meeting anybody, not sending anybody off, looking at
this plane, and ensuring that this person did manage to leave the country. He
stayed there for a few years; moved on to America and is still alive at this
present time. If it were not of this Australian friend, he would have been
perhaps not be with us this day.
Now, I do mention this also because when Martial Law was proclaimed, it
seemed the world had turned upside down. My father was thought of have been one
of two potential candidates of the Liberal Party to run for presidency—and at
that time, there were only two parties in the country.
Since Marcos was turning to be the most unpopular leader around, chances are
the president in 1973 would have been from our party. But from being one of the
top contenders for the top post in the country, he became number one on the
order of battle of Martial Law, and nobody wanted to be associated with us when
Martial Law was proclaimed.
There were instances when people would cross the street to avoid being with
my mother or being seen with my mother—or even being suspected to having talked
to any of us. Those were days when loyal friends suddenly were very sparse, but
our Australian friends throughout the whole period of Martial Law were a
constant source of support and nurturing.
Hence, I was part of the excitement of coming here—it was in a in a sense—to
see a land that really nurtured people who are not afraid to fight for that
which is right not only during our Martial Law period but also during the time
of World War II, in Korea, in Vietnam, and so on.
Mr. Premier, allow me to thank you therefore and the people of New South
Wales for this very, very warm welcome. This is my first ever visit to
Australia, and to Sydney; and it is truly a remarkable experience being in the
city of the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and the various landmarks that make
this, the most populous city in Australia, a global tourist destination. I
understand it is also home to approximately half of the Filipino-Australian
Community who I understand, when you mentioned, being noisy at times—but that
seems to be a trait. [Laughter]
The friendship between Australia and the Philippines is nothing short of
historic. Our countries are firm believers in democracy; our respective peoples
cherish the same values of kindness, hospitality, and compassion; historically,
we have been willing to be comrades-in-arms, in defense of freedom.
As I already mentioned, during World War II, even as Bataan and Corregidor
underwent their agony at the hands of the Axis Forces, our government initially
found refuge in your shores, the same shores from which the Allied Forces began
their sacrifice-filled war of liberation and democratic redemption. In the
Korean War, our countries fought side-by-side, this time, in the Republic of
Korea, and again for democracy.
Here, too, my compatriots have built new and prosperous lives. At present,
I'm told, more than 220,000 Australians can claim Filipino ancestry, of which
more than 90,000 reside here in New South Wales. Seventy-seven percent of these
Filipino-Australians work as accountants, software and applications programmers,
nurses, and doctors. They also help build the infrastructure backbone of
Australia as engineers and miners, constructions workers, welders, and motor
mechanics.
During this visit, we are being given the chance to further deepen our
relationship, and I am grateful for that. I see concrete areas where our
countries can create new partnerships or expand existing ones, such as in
infrastructure, business process outsourcing, and the extractive industries.
I am certain that our shared values and beliefs will lead us to a future
where the relationship between our countries will grow even stronger, to the
mutual benefit of both Australians and Filipinos.
And before I end: Sometimes being the chief executive of any entity, in my
case—of a country—it really does become lonely at the top. There are days when
you look at the newspapers and read the news, or read analyses, and wonder, "How
do we actually chart our course through these very nervous times." At the end of
the day, I comfort myself that, you know, we need not travel this road alone.
There will be friends. There will be allies, and in Australia and Australians,
we have found long-committed allies and we thank you for it.
Thank you.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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