ANU Philippines Institute meets the newly appointed Philippine Ambassador to Australia, H.E. Antonio A. Morales

Ambassador Morales (first row, second from left) and Director of the Philippines Institute, Professor Bjoern Dressel (first row, third from left), along with other members of the Institute, discussed topics ranging from maritime awareness, community and the Filipino diaspora, to electoral politics in the Philippines. These conversations come at a time where the Philippines' role as a middle power in the region has become increasingly important amidst recent geopolitical developments.

Pictured below counterclockwise from the first row: ANU Philippines Institute Senior Research Fellow and Professor at De la Salle University-Manila Cleo Calimbahin, Ambassador Antonio Morales, Professor Bjoern Dressel, Minister and Consul-General Aian Caringal, First Secretary and Consul Rainier Casis, Third Secretary and Vice-Consul Angela Laurente, Institute Board Member Dr. Merlinda Bobis, Institute Policy and Engagement Officer Shanice Espiritu-Amador, Former Institute Deputy Director Professor Maria Tanyag, Institute Project Officer Vanessa Geidel, Senior Project Advisor to the Institute Professor Paul Hutchcroft, and Embassy Attaché Ceres May Martinez.