With the motto “Shaping the future of relations between the Philippines and Spain”, the Spain-Philippines Forum reaches its tenth edition and will be held on February 22 and 23, 2024 at the Península Manila Hotel.

Relations between the Philippines and Spain date back to the 16th century, when Spanish explorers first arrived in the archipelago, shaping the destinies of both nations. As this long-standing relationship continues to resonate in today's global landscape, the tenth edition of this forum will serve as a platform for dialogue and cooperation to strengthen bilateral relations and explore opportunities for collaboration.

This forum is organized by Casa Asia and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, and the embassies of both countries. This edition also has the support of ICEX Spain Exportation and Investment, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines.

Geopolitics, food security, infrastructure and tourism

El 10th Spain-Philippines Forum will consist of four comprehensive sessions which will cover a variety of topics such as the geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific region, food security and supply chains, digitalization and infrastructure development for tourism growth and energy security.

The first session, titled: “Addressing evolving security risks: Spain and the Philippines in the Indo-Pacific region”, will explore how both nations perceive the evolution of security issues in the region and their approaches to these developments. In this sense, the international community must make an effort to collaborate in the management of these issues that could affect opportunities in the region.

The second session will follow, with the topic: “Ensuring food security: strengthening supply chains and logistics”, which will delve into the need to reduce vulnerabilities in the supply chain, improve resilience and diversification, and strengthen local production capabilities to cope with fluctuations in global markets.

The third session will emphasize the critical need to invest in essential infrastructure to support the growth of the Philippine tourism sector. Graduated “Supporting tourism growth: the role of infrastructure development”, this session will also highlight the important role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in this effort.

Finally, the fourth session on "Energizing the future: modernizing the electricity grid" will underline the importance of collaboration between government and private sector actors in modernizing the country's power grid to accommodate incoming renewable and other energy sources, which will help achieve energy security.

These sessions will not only provide valuable insights, but also serve as avenues to explore investment prospects and collaboration opportunities, as well as foster mutual growth.

Government experts, business representatives, and diplomats will participate in this Forum in which they will share their ideas and proposals on possible avenues of collaboration and current opportunities that can further strengthen the existing economic and investment ties between both countries.

Spain and the Philippines strengthen their trade relations