Maintaining peace in Mindanao important to whole Asia-Pacific, says Australian official

From Rappler (Jun 20, 2023): Maintaining peace in Mindanao important to whole Asia-Pacific, says Australian official (By JAMES PATRICK CRUZ)

'A peaceful Mindanao is fundamentally important, not just to the Philippines but the entire region,' says Australian Embassy in Manila First Secretary Political Simon Hayter

MANILA, Philippines – An official of the Australian embassy in Manila stressed the significance of maintaining peace in Mindanao, saying the situation in the southern Philippines also affected the Asia-Pacific region.

“A peaceful Mindanao is fundamentally important, not just to the Philippines but the entire region,” said Simon Hayter, first secretary political at the Australian embassy in Manila on Tuesday, June 20, during the roundtable discussion of local governments from Bangsamoro on social cohesion and resilience.

Australia’s annual aid program to the Philippines is worth around P3 billion. A huge chunk of this goes to Mindanao’s peace process, health and education, and economic development, Hayter said.

“Australia seeks its security within the region. We support a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region. As part of that, we seek to help the Philippines in establishing a peaceful and stable Mindanao,” Hayter said.

According to the International Crisis Group, powerful clans in the Bangsamoro pose a major stumbling block to achieving long-term peace in the Muslim-majority region.

Apart from providing social support to the Philippines, Australia has been forging a strong alliance with the country in terms of defense and security.

Last February, defense officials of the Philippines and Australia discussed the possibility of conducting joint patrols in the South China Sea.

The vast South China Sea, a waterway vital to global trade, has become a major flashpoint with different overlapping claims of territory.

During the 2023 Balikatan exercise of the US and the Philippines last April, at least 100 Australian Defense Forces participated.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/maintaining-peace-mindanao-important-whole-asia-pacific-says-australian-official/