The Ministers also met with high-level business delegations from Australia and the Philippines and expressed the importance of private sector engagement in moving the relations forward.

The Secretary took the opportunity to convey the Philippines’ appreciation and gratitude for the generous assistance extended by Australia following the devastation of super typhoon Yolanda. He also thanked Australia for the development cooperation amounting to AU$170.1 million for 2014 in terms of grant aid to education, climate change adaptation and disaster mitigation, and peace and stability in Mindanao.

The ministers agreed on holding the 2nd Strategic Dialogue and the 4th round of Bilateral Consultations on Counter-Terrorism.