Eilat Port Company and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Renew Ties on Port Development Cooperation
Philippine Ambassador to Israel Macairog Alberto and Mr. Gideon Golbar exchange tokens after the meeting at Eilat Port. (Tel Aviv PE photo)
TEL AVIV 20 October 2021 – Philippine Ambassador to the State of Israel Macairog Alberto met with Mr. Gideon Golber, General Manager of Eilat Port Company, Ltd., on 13 October.
They were joined virtually by Mr. Ronnie Yambao, Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), to discuss plans to pursue the Memorandum of Agreement signed between Subic Bay and Eilat Port during the visit of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to Israel in September 2018.
Mr. Golber warmly welcomed the Ambassador’s initiative to renew ties between the two ports, and took the initiative to share a presentation on Eilat Port’s latest infrastructure developments.
“Eilat Port is here, ready to share its technical know-how not only in port operations and development, but also in security and developing energy self-sufficiency,” Mr. Golber assured the Philippine envoy. “I look forward to welcoming delegations from SBMA and the Philippines to Eilat Port.”
Mr. Yambao was equally enthusiastic in his response, sharing: “On the part of SBMA, the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent the port from performing better than usual. Subic Port ensured the mobility of goods during lockdown and served as a bridge to Southeast Asia with a market of 625 million people.”
Speaking on behalf of SBMA Chairperson and CEO Wilma Eisma, Mr. Yambao affirmed that, “We are proud to have a cooperation agreement with Eilat Port and would consider exchange of delegations to learn from each port’s best practices.”
“Eilat City is important for both business and security considerations,” Ambassador Alberto observed. “I encourage both ports to conduct visits of official delegations from the government and business sectors to generate more awareness on the importance of ports to the holistic policies of countries towards more vibrant and strategic economic activities,” the Ambassador added.
SBMA and Eilat Port are major port hubs of the Philippines and Israel, and potential gateways between the Mediterranean and Far East regions. END
SBMA Deputy Administrator Ronnie Yambao, who joined the meeting virtually, Eilat Port CEO Gideon Golbar, and Ambassador Macairog Alberto exchange greetings during the meeting. (Tel Aviv PE photo)
Ambassador Macairog Alberto (3rd from right) is joined by Philippine Embassy officers (from right to left): Defense Attaché, Col. Ewald Manay; Third Secretary and Vice Consul Judy Razon; Consul General Reichel Quiñones; Cultural Attaché Geraldine Gamoso; and Protocol Officer Erich George Oquendo (not in photo). (Tel Aviv PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.telavivpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.org.il or https://www.facebook.com/PHinIsrael/.