President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is back in Manila following his state visit to Australia.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the Philippine leader arrived in Manila at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

In a statement posted over an hour after his arrival, Marcos said his two-day visit to Australia was “a significant step in realizing the opportunities and potentials set forth by (our) decision to elevate the bilateral relationship with Australia from a comprehensive to a strategic partnership.”

The President noted that following the September visit of Prime Minister Albanese in the Philippines, both countries have seen “an increased tempo in bilateral engagements in various areas of cooperation,” of which the prominent was Manila and Canberra’s closer collaboration on defense and security.

During his visit, Marcos had the opportunity to be the first Philippine President in history to address the Australian Parliament.

In his landmark speech, the President said that he was able to convey the important role of the Philippines and Australia as “proponents of the rules-based international order and its significance amidst the present complexities in the global geopolitics.”

“I conveyed to Australian legislators the important role of both our countries as proponents of the rules-based international order and its significance amidst the present complexities in the global geopolitics,” he said.

“As democratic maritime nations, access to the global commons such as the oceans and the seas must be ensured and safeguarded.”

Marcos said he and Prime Minister Albanese explored ways to maximize the strengths and opportunities from the strategic partnership of both countries.

“Our discussions on trade, investment and security shall inform the next steps in implementing and achieving the enhanced cooperation outline under the framework of our strategic partnership,” he said.

Aside from the Prime Minister, Marcos also had productive engagements with Australia's parliamentary leadership, including with the President of the Senate, the Speaker of Australia's House of Representatives and the leader of the opposition.

“Their support is instrumental in developing an enabling policy environment for the continuous upward orientation for our bilateral relations,” he said.

During his visit, Australia and the Philippines signed 3 agreements in the fields of maritime cooperation, cyber and critical technology, and the implementation of competition laws.

“Concluding such MOUs will pave the way for more beneficial undertakings, information sharing and capacity-building foreseen to promote closer bilateral ties and contribute to regional development, peace and prosperity,” he said.

“Australia remains and will continue to be one of our closest friends. In the spirit of bayanihan and mateship, we shall forge ahead in fully maximizing the potentials and the gains of the strategic partnership between our two forward-looking, law-abiding maritime states,” he continued.

 The Philippine leader is set to fly back to Australia on the weekend to join other South East Asian leaders for the ASEAN-Australia Summit which will be held next week in Melbourne.

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