ATHENS, Greece โ€” The Philippines highlighted its maritime sector and renewed its push for stronger global partnerships during the 2nd Philippine Maritime Forum in Athens, Greece, underscoring reforms, sustainability efforts, and investment opportunities in the industry.

๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐  ๐๐‡-๐†๐ซ๐ž๐ž๐œ๐ž ๐ฆ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž ๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ

H.E. Giovanni E. Palec, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to Greece, in his remarks, underscored the enduring maritime partnership between the two countries and the Philippinesโ€™ commitment to deepen cooperation with Greeceโ€”home to one of the worldโ€™s most dominant shipping fleets.

โ€œWe want you to look at the Philippines as one with skill, with talent, and as a partner; one which bridges investment opportunities and operations,โ€ Palec said. โ€œWe envision the Philippines and Greece as partners built not only on commerce, but most importantly, on trust, confidence and relations.โ€

๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ž๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฌ

Representing the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Deputy Administrator for Planning Nenita S. Atienza said the Philippine maritime sector continues to pursue modernization, sustainability, and global competitiveness.

She noted ongoing efforts to strengthen the countryโ€™s shipping industry through fleet modernization, regulatory reforms, and green shipping initiatives.

Atienza also emphasized the countryโ€™s push for sustainable maritime development, including decarbonization efforts and capacity-building programs aligned with global maritime standards.

๐Œ๐€๐‘๐ˆ๐๐€ ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐‡๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐ข๐œ-๐€๐’๐„๐€๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐œ๐ข๐ฅ

A key highlight of the forum was the landmark signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MARINA and the Hellenic-ASEAN Business Council (HABC).

The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation in maritime development, capacity building, policy dialogue, investment promotion, and the exchange of information and best practices between the Philippine and Greek shipping communities.

The MOU was signed in advance by the MARINA Administrator, Ms. Sonia Malaluan and Mr. Nick Stasinopoulos, which was attested by Atienza during the ceremonial signing at the Forum.

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