GREEKS IN THE PHILIPPINES
and their contributions to the country

By Miltiadis Adamopoulos (Milton Adamson) <Milton@Adamson.com> [new address: miltonadamson@yahoo.com]

One of the first Greeks to arrive in the Philippines was Alexandros Athos Adamopoulos who came to Legaspi city in 1928. Together with his brother and cousin he co-founded Adamson University in 1932. The university was and is noted for its curriculum directed towards the needs of the Philippines in the areas of science, chemical and industrial engineering. Today Adamson University has attained recognition as on of the leading institutions for Graduate Education, Law, Arts, Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Education, Engineering, Commerce and Architechture. The university has a student population of over 22,000.

The symbol of the university is the Godess Athena the God of Wisdom.

During World War II Alexandros Adamopoulos (Alexander A. Adamson) was appointed in 1942 by the Greek government to take charge of Greek interests in the Philippines. He was later promoted to the rank Consul General ah of Greece.

In 1989 Alexander Adamson saw the need to establish the first true Greek Orthodox church in the Philippines and thus established the Hellenic Orthodox Foundation Inc.. Although he died in 1993 before the church was completed, the church was finished in 1996 and is constructed in the true byzantium style with all the interior furnishings imported from Greece and is home to approximately 200 orthodox in the Philippines. [This church was consecrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch on March 5, 2000.]

He founded two paper mills, one the Philippines Paper Mills and the other the Bataan Pulp and Paper Mill which have pioneered paper making in the Philippines. He established Adamson Phil Inc. a shipping company which has given jobs to tens of thousands of Filipinos over the years. He represented the Greek flagship carrier Olympic Airways as its General Sales Agent in the Philippines.