Tiglao: RP seamen ‘extensively featured’ in Greece

Shipping Finance, one of Greece’s most prestigious newspapers, “extensively featured" the Philippine maritime industry in February 2007, Rigoberto Tiglao, Philippine ambassador to Greece said Monday. In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Tiglao stressed that the feature story will “put the Philippines and its shipping industry in the radar screen of Greece and the world’s shipping industry. The newspapers’ editor, Petros Diplas, reportedly informed Tiglao that “Greece has the biggest merchant fleet in the world, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the world’s fleet. Filipinos make up, at the very least, 20 percent of the officers and men of Greek ships, the biggest nationality group in Greece's maritime industry. Tiglao quoted Diplas saying, “Every ship owner and every crew-manning agency I have met has all praise for Filipino officers and crew." Greek ship owners have noted that the Philippines, with its skilled work force and maritime history, could be a major shipbuilder and could develop a ship-repair industry, Tiglao said. He said that that the priority of the Philippine embassy in Greece is “to strengthen the competitive advantage of Filipino officers and seamen …and to ensure that Filipinos get the best jobs in the world’s shipping industry." –GMANews.TV