ANZCham had the pleasure of attending this year’s Philippines-Australia Friendship Day on 22 May 2026 at the Presidential Car Museum in Quezon City.
The Australian Embassy in the Philippines partnered with the local government of Quezon City and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to hold a historic commemoration of 80 years of diplomatic ties.
Philippines-Australia Friendship Day is observed on the 22nd of May in the Philippines, the date that Australia established its first consulate at the Manila Hotel in 1946.
For this year, the Quezon Memorial was lit up in Green and Gold, the national colours of Australia. The memorial also serves as the final resting place of Manuel Quezon, the wartime leader of the Philippine Commonwealth. In March 1942, he and his cabinet escaped the siege of Corregidor and were welcomed in Australia as a government-in-exile. They spent a month in Australia before relocating to the United States to work towards the liberation of the Philippines.
At the ceremony on Friday evening, the Historical Commission also announced it would commission a historical plaque to commemorate the ties between President Quezon and Australia, and the friendship between the two nations.
Media coverage of the event was extensive, with over 10 separate press outlets covering the event. Views of the event video on Facebook garnered more than 236,000 views.
