Australian foreign minister arrives in Manila

Australian Foreign Minister Julia Bishop arrived in the Philippines before dawn Thursday for a series of meetings with Philippine officials.

 

Bishop arrived aboard a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong, according to a report by radio dzBB's Roland Bola.

 

The report said Bishop is among the ranking Australian officials to meet with Philippine officials.

 

Earlier, the Australian Embassy in Manila said Bishop, Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb, and Premier Barry O’Farrell of the state of New South Wales, will visit the Philippines Feb. 19 to 21.

 

Bishop and Robb are to meet their Philippine counterparts Albert del Rosario (foreign affairs) and Gregory Domingo (trade) for the Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting (PAMM).

 

“The PAMM is the pre-eminent meeting between Australian and Philippine Ministers. It provides an excellent opportunity to deepen the bilateral relationship, strengthen our cooperation on regional issues and shape the agenda for the next few years” Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddell said in a statement.

 

It will be Bishop’s second visit to the Philippines since December, when she visited Manila and areas affected by super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), including Tacloban and Ormoc.

 

Australia is one of the Philippines’ donor partners, providing A$170.1 million or approximately P6.8 billion in official development assistance for the period 2013-2014, with strong focus on education and security. — ELR, GMA News