Philippine News

The US/Israel-Iran war now dominates risk assessments and scenario planning for the private sector in Southeast Asia. This, alongside the harsher reality of inflation spikes and uncertainty, is eroding margins, delaying investment decisions and complicating day-to-day business operations. This matters for ASEAN not only because geopolitical tensions are global, but because their impacts are immediate. Much of Southeast Asia is highly dependent on oil shipments that originate

The days after Easter always seem brighter. There’s a sense of renewal, hope and new beginnings – even in times of crisis such as the one we are all experiencing now. I realize that it’s not about the current state of affairs. Those are fleeting and will resolve in ways that we may or may not be able to control. It’s about the traditions that ground us. When traditions are passed down, they reinforce the values that we want to teach the next generation. In our family, busines

When I talk about MSMEs, I see them as more than economic units but also as engines of social change. Nowhere is this clearer than in the growing number of women-led MSMEs across the Philippines – entrepreneurs who not only create jobs and products, but also uplift communities and expand our perception of women’s roles in households, communities and the nation. Consider the diversity and impact already on display among the 10 ladies who were awarded this year’s Go Negosyo Ins

I was sitting down for an interview with Jeron Travel and Tours CEO and suking Go Negosyo events host Chal Lontoc-Del Rosario last week when she sprung upon me some bombshell news: my daughters Monica, Margarita and Isabella were to be on the show with her the following week. Of course, I laughed and chided myself for not being on top of current events such as these, but I was nonetheless a mixture of pride and amusement that my three girls would be on TV. I made a mental not

The world is changing. You can feel it in how traffic on the streets of the city seems to have magically eased. The anticipation that something terrible is about to happen is palpable. It’s been happening the past week since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East (this time between Iran, Israel and the US). And this just as the Philippines suffered the worst embarrassment brought on by the scandal of massive corruption involving government agencies, legislators and

The hardest working person in public service. Last Saturday, during the launch of Go Negosyo’s newest program, Trabaho@Negosyo, I gladly said this of Sec. Cris Roque of the Department of Trade and Industry during my welcome speech. Imagine my surprise when President Marcos Jr. paid me the same compliment during his speech. To be given such a compliment, by and in front of people I admire and respect, is, I think, a moment I will not soon forget. And what a time to receive suc

It has been many years since I last visited Boracay, but returning this time brought back a flood of memories. The island has undergone significant changes, and its beauty continues to captivate. However, for me, memory is tied not merely to this island’s beautiful beaches or vibrant sunsets, but rather to the experiences I shared with the people during the early days of Cosmos Bottling Corp. In those days, Boracay was where we went to reward our team for their hard work and

As chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), my commitment to making our regional body more inclusive has never been more vital. My goal is to make this ASEAN more inclusive, a task that I started more than a decade ago, in 2017, when I last headed the ASEAN-BAC. We have made substantial progress, but the need to engage every segment of society in the ASEAN narrative is now more urgent, especially when economic growth and poverty alleviation are at stake. Admi

ASEAN is a region of deep entrepreneurial spirit. It is also a very young region, and one that has time and again proved to be quite resilient. In the weeks and months ahead, I will be talking a lot about ASEAN, jobs and entrepreneurship as my days as this year’s chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council become busier and busier. And what a time to do it, too. These are times of rapid change and increasing unpredictability. We are talking more than disruptions in global su

It was a productive weekend in Nasugbu. I brought the members of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council for our 105th meeting for a working weekend, followed by a much-deserved break in one of my favorite places in the Philippines. The fine food, singing, sailing and a round of golf in the scenic coasts of Batangas is just a preview of how the Philippines plans to put its best foot forward as host of ASEAN in 2026. We were lucky to have had with us several of our allies in this

Things work smoothly when you have a friendly working relationship with colleagues. This is one thing I’ve learned over the years. In my work with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), for example, it is always a series of intense meetings with my counterparts from the ASEAN member-states, with the Joint Business Councils, with sectoral representatives and with subject-matter experts. I suppose that is the wisdom behind peppering these regular meetings with excitin

The last few weeks will mark the beginning of what I am sure will be a busy year for me. It will be the culmination of a year of expectant excitement building up since last year: the transition of the chairship of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) from Malaysia to the Philippines. The first of the many activities we will have for the year will begin in the next few days. I will be in Malacañang this week to attend the ceremonial handover of the chairship. Malays

Last week, I went to San Juan to listen to my youngest daughter, Bella, give a TED Talk. TED Talks are apparently a big thing in her generation. When before the topics would be confined to technology, entertainment and design (thus the TED), the topics now extend to anything under the sun, as long as it’s engaging, informative and insightful. I watched Bella practice for a whole month to give the 12-minute talk to an audience made up of mostly young people like her. Needless

I can already tell that 2026 will be an eventful year. In just a few days – only into the first half of January – we will kick off the year with a significant moment: the official handover of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) chairmanship from Malaysia to the Philippines. This handover will be, in many ways, the closest thing to a dress rehearsal for ASEAN 2026. Leaders and council members from all 11 ASEAN member-states will gather to witness the transition, an

In a developing nation’s economy, two gears must turn in perfect sync to generate real, inclusive prosperity: the spirit of entrepreneurship and the dignity of labor. As an advocate for the Filipino entrepreneur for more than 20 years now, and now one who is tasked with the private sector’s commitment to jobs, I am fortunate to have the vantage point at the intersection of policy and practice. Here, I can see that the path forward for our nation is not just more jobs, but a r

The last time I saw Filipino tech titan Dado Banatao was when I had dinner with him and his wife, Maria, at their home in Silicon Valley. It had been a while since I last saw him, and his wife gently told us before we were to meet him that he had been ill and had trouble remembering things. Little did I know then that that would be my final dinner with this great man. He succumbed to his illness last Christmas. I was glad to have visited at that time. Sitting across from Dado

I know, I know. 2025 does not appear to be a particularly wonderful year for many people. To the casual observer or the weary citizen, it is quite the opposite: an annus horribilis, a horrible year defined by loss, tragedy and economic shifts. We have seen the headlines and felt the weight of uncertainty and the heartbreak of disappointment. But as I always say, a successful entrepreneur must be a perennial optimist. This is not a choice made out of naivety, but a necessity b

Without fail, in every major meeting and business gathering I have attended lately, the subject of digital technology always came up. Often, it is the focal point of the event, such as the recent Digital Financial Inclusion Awards, at the meeting with the ASEAN Secretariat led by Sec. Gen. HE Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the SM Job Fair + Skills e-Hub Holiday Career Fest and at our Go Negosyo BalikBayan Summit. My area of concern when it comes to the discussion of digital technology

The corruption scandal still weighed heavily on my mind last Saturday. It was no ordinary Saturday as it was the day of Go Negosyo’s BalikBayan Summit 2025, where we celebrate our overseas Filipinos and help them and their families become successful entrepreneurs here in the Philippines. With the scale of the corruption running into the billions and the thieves unmasked as government officials, it was understandable how some of our overseas Pinoys would be hesitant to trust t

In the choppy waters of Philippine politics, we are now navigating a storm of corruption allegations more scandalous than a telenovela plot twist. Having spent 20 years of my life championing MSMEs as the unsung heroes keeping our economy afloat, I’m here to sound the alarm, but not the abandon-ship kind. No, my call is for stability and continuity. After all, if we start rocking the boat too vigorously, we risk capsizing the whole vessel, passengers and all. And let’s be hon