The Forum, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in collaboration with HABC, reaffirmed the growing strategic momentum behind GreekβPhilippine maritime cooperation and highlighted the significant opportunities emerging across shipping, maritime talent, infrastructure, and investment.
A key milestone was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA – DOTC) and the Hellenic-ASEAN Business Council (HABC), establishing a structured framework to deepen maritime cooperation, facilitate investment, and strengthen maritime education and enhance industry connectivity between our two nations. This partnership reflects the natural complementarity between Greece as the worldβs leading ship-owning nation and the Philippines as a cornerstone of global maritime manpower and training excellence.
The outstanding panel of speakers, included:
β’ Ms. Nenita S. Atienza, Deputy Administrator for Planning, MARINA β presenting a clear, data-driven outlook on the Philippinesβ maritime strategy and growth trajectory
β’ Mr. Renato Lee III, Senior Deputy Administrator for Business and Investment, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) β outlining Subic Bayβs role as a competitive maritime and investment hub
β’ Mr. George Xiradakis, President of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping β on financing maritime growth and investment structures
β’ Ms. Katrina Banzon, Philippine Trade and Investment Center (Paris) β on concrete investment opportunities for European and Greek stakeholders
Their contributions reflected not aspiration, but readiness β in policy, infrastructure, finance, and investment facilitation.
The HABC mission is clear: to transform strategic dialogue into structured cooperation and unlock tangible opportunities across Greece, ASEAN, and the Indo-Pacific.
For shipowners, investors, maritime executives, and institutional stakeholders seeking to engage with the Philippines and Greece, the framework is now in place.