Marcos to give rare speech to Australia’s parliament

MANILA: Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (pic) will address a rare joint sitting of Australia’s parliament in a sign of Canberra’s deepening ties with South-East Asian nations at a time of strategic competition in the region.

Marcos will speak to Australian lawmakers in Canberra on Feb 29, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday (Feb 12). A joint sitting of both houses of parliament is a rare honour previously only accorded to leaders such as US Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.