Members of the Australia Philippines Services League NSW Chapter headed by Commander Rick Palenzuela (PN ret.), APSL NSW Chapter Commandant, accompanied by Gary Ohlson, Sub Branch Vice President and Chairman Blacktown RSL Club Ltd, and Major Tom Baena RACMP, APSL NSW Chief of Staff paid a courtesy call and presented a plaque to the Philippine Navy Vice Chief, Rear Admiral Orwen Cortez on Thursday 12 April 2012 at the Philippine Navy Headquarters in Manila Philippines.
The date of the courtesy call although unrelated, coincided with two major events in the Philippines. The 12th of April 2012 marked the first day of an official 3-day state visit to the Republic of the Philippines by H.E. Quentin Bryce AC CVO – Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia. It was also the day in which a territorial dispute in relation to a maritime Philippine Territory called Scarborough Shoal came into being. The area is being claimed by both China and the Philippines as an integral part of their territories. The topic was discussed during the visit. APSL NSW intends to participate in lobbying for international intervention