Seoul, 24 June 2026 – The Philippine Embassy in Seoul participated in the 2026 Railway Day Commemorative Conference held at the Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Republic of Korea on 24 June 2026, hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and organized by the Korea Railway Industry Association (KORASS). The event was attended by diplomatic representatives, government officials, industry associations, business leaders and experts in the ROK railway sector.

During the forum on “Strengthening Cooperation to Advance the Railway Industry and Expand Global Market Opportunities,” Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General Edwin Gil Q. Mendoza delivered a presentation highlighting the Philippines’ readiness for the next generation of mobility, and shared the Philippine government’s efforts to convert long-term plans into visible civil works, operational transition, and bankable public-private partnership (PPP) structures. He outlined the status of major railway flagship projects, policy directions and objectives as well as prospects for international cooperation, emphasizing that the Philippines is not only building railways, rather building a rail ecosystem that combines infrastructure delivery, loan utilization, PPP-based operations, fare-system modernization, and long-term maintenance planning.

“For international partners, this creates real opportunities to participate in engineering, rolling stock, systems integration, operations, maintenance, finance and digital mobility solutions. The Philippine rail program is moving from construction-heavy expansion toward a more mature model of sustainable, partnership-driven operations,” he said.

MOLIT Railway Bureau Director General Kim Tae Byeong expressed appreciation to the speakers including Czech Ambassador H.E. Ivan Jancarek, Commercial Counsellor of Morocco Ms. Rania Saidy, Commercial Counsellor of Tanzania Mr. John P.M. Masuka, Manager Mohamed Khalil from Egypt, and Embassy of Germany’s Deputy Head of Mission Mr. Jorn Beissert, for sharing achievements and future cooperation in their countries railway sector. Their insights provided the forum participants a better understanding of railway policies around the world and a pathway for robust network of railway cooperation. END