Philippine News

I have spent much of my professional career in meeting rooms, having serious conversations that sometimes seem to move at a pace slower than I would have liked. It’s tiring work, if we’re all to be honest about it, but it’s this kind of work that leads to the two words that we all want to hear: actionable outcomes. I understand the impatience. When a lot is at stake, another dialogue can sound like delay. But after years of shepherding and attending countless meetings, I have

Practical, measurable and grounded in reality. What policymaker wouldn’t want those? I am still in the middle of a flurry of activity around ASEAN, mainly because it is only a few weeks until the 49th ASEAN Summit, and ASEAN-BAC’s own ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in November, where we will move beyond dialogue and deliver actionable policy recommendations, strategic partnerships and regional initiatives that strengthen ASEAN’s competitiveness while advancing inclusive

Very few things are sweeter than good news coming when it is unexpected. Last week, I received news that RFM Corporation was included in the Micro Cap segment of the FTSE Global Equity Index (GEIS). It wasn’t a mere reclassification within FTSE’s existing size buckets; it was a new inclusion. Benchmarks such as FTSE GEIS are used by institutional investors and other market participants to track and allocate investments across markets. Constituent reviews can affect the invest

I was in Seoul, South Korea last week to receive an award for my work with MSMEs. It was the ASEAN Entrepreneurs Award, given by the ASEAN-Korea Center during the 27th World Knowledge Forum, organized in partnership with the Maekyung Media Group. I was with my fellow awardee, Vietnam’s Don Lam, the founder and CEO of investment firm VinaCapital Group. Following the awarding ceremonies, I joined Mr. Lam and the Asan Institute for Policy Studies’ Lee Jaehyon in a discussion ses

My father, Jose “Joecon” Concepcion Jr., used to say that ideas only become durable when they are pursued with persistence. He spent decades of his life proving it. NAMFREL remains a byword when it comes to poll vigilance, and one can hardly talk about nationalism and industry without mentioning his rallying cry of “Yes, the Filipino can.” Joecon also helped plant the seeds of what would eventually become the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC). He believed that a pri

If there is anything we’ve learned in recent years, it is how fragile an interconnected global economy can be. Sadly, this is not an abstract concept. The effects are very real – felt by consumers and businesses alike, but especially by ordinary people and small entrepreneurs who may not have enough resources to weather disruptions. When supply chains break or logistics slow down, the impact quickly becomes visible: ingredients become harder to source, production becomes unce

In our many policy discussions in ASEAN, there are repeated calls to help the region’s MSMEs scale – especially now that we are on the cusp of realizing an integrated, digital economy. A dynamic MSME sector will be crucial as we confront global disruptions from climate change, geopolitical uncertainties and rising pressure on our region’s food and energy security. A wider base of agile MSMEs can strengthen our collective economic resilience and create conditions that make ASE

The past couple of weeks have been quite a challenge for most of us here in the Philippines. The nonstop rains and the flooding they brought affected many activities, including some of our own meetings and events for the Philippines’ ASEAN chairship. Now there’s really nothing much we can do about the weather. I think that ship has sailed. But I share with many Filipinos the frustration over how poorly we have performed in managing the natural calamities that regularly and fr

Being included on any list ranking the wealthiest in the country is a moment that inevitably invites celebration. But in these times when billionaires are viewed increasingly more like Lex Luthor rather than Bruce Wayne, such lists inevitably invite scrutiny because whenever the public sees money concentrated in a few hands, it raises unavoidable questions about inequality and sustainability. I have always believed that business success and shared prosperity can exist togethe

Like many Filipinos last Monday, I watched with interest President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address. It was delivered with great passion, and I admire his candor in addressing the issues that are now foremost on the people’s minds. The topic that I observed received the most applause was the issue of power rates. I suppose it is something that gravely affects all of us right now. All over the world, the cost of energy is rising due to several events beyond a

I learned early that the success of a business is rarely the work of one person alone. Yes, leadership matters. Vision matters. Execution matters. But the truth is that no company builds momentum by willpower alone. It builds momentum through relationships. In business, those relationships are what we call partners. Last week, Go Negosyo gave recognition to outstanding MSMEs who’ve shown how small companies, with hard work and access to the necessary tools for success, can sc

In my line of work – whether it’s in RFM, Go Negosyo, the MSMED Council, PSAC or ASEAN – I have observed that when things get tough, successful MSMEs innovate around constraints and continue to dream big for their businesses. This year’s recipients of the Inspiring MSME Awards are a snapshot of that mindset. In today’s column, I want to highlight how these awardees innovated and overcame challenges, and possibly give a peek into what it will mean if they scale beyond their cu

I’ve spent much of my life in business and pushing for the idea that MSMEs are not “small” in impact. In the Philippines and across ASEAN, I’ve seen the same truth: the economy is built by people who wake up early to serve their communities, then go home hoping they can pay the bills again tomorrow. Being an MSME is not easy. One of the hardest lessons for any entrepreneur is to be wrong in a way that costs money, and it’s even harder for MSMEs because they’re operating with

Every July, we mark National MSME Month in the Philippines – and rightly so. MSMEs are the engine of our economy. They greatly outnumber large corporations and employ more than half of our workforce. As an advocate for MSMEs for two decades now and myself a businessman, I feel that these last few months must have made us more attuned to the realities on the ground for our small entrepreneurs. Because if we truly believe MSMEs are essential, then we also have to recognize what

Japan and ASEAN have close economic connections, but what I experienced during my recent engagements in Japan as chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council brought home some realizations on how our close neighbor has impacted the Philippines, in almost all aspects of life. Of course, there are the Japanophiles among Filipinos, and who could blame them? The food, the culture, the efficiency and many other things about the country are really to be admired. As an advocate for

At around this time every year, as the back-to-school season begins in the Philippines, market vendors would normally brace for the familiar surge of parents with their school-age children in tow, looking for notebooks and pens, school uniforms and shoes, getting ready for the opening of classes. In Divisoria, the country’s biggest mass-market commercial district, this is practically a ritual. Here, it is an annual sprint, where small traders convert foot traffic into cash be

My youngest, Bella, recently wrote a piece about what it’s like to be Joey Concepcion’s daughter. In it, she put in writing her thoughts and observations on what makes me tick. She recounted things that I thought would have passed unnoticed, but nevertheless made a mark on her young mind. I shouldn’t be surprised, really. Bella soaks up information like a sponge. She is keenly observant and wise beyond her years. Her observations are so surprising that I sometimes forget how

Why is it that most micro and small entrepreneurs (MSEs) rarely seem to scale up? Successful MSEs – those who eventually grow into medium or large enterprises – have shown that scaling is possible. Yet, for many entrepreneurs, it remains the exception rather than the rule. The question is not whether scaling can happen. It’s why it so often doesn’t. One explanation offered – especially in the Philippine context – is that many MSE owners are simply content as long as they are

It’s been more than a week since the ASEAN Summit and our own ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) meetings in Cebu and Boracay. But the work doesn’t stop at the big national meetings; it will continue throughout the year, up until the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in November. In the next few days, in fact, I will go and meet with business organizations and more private sector partners from the region as part of my duties as this year’s chair of the ASEAN-BAC.

When I look back at the ASEAN Business Advisory Council’s 106th Council Meeting and Second Retreat last May 10 and 11 in Boracay, I will remember how quickly we became more than delegates with shared agendas and how we started to become an ASEAN team in the truest sense. Yes, we held our council meetings, but the meetings were only part of the work. What made this truly special was what came alongside it: the bonding moments, the evenings where we got to know one another well