APEC Business Advisory Council Philippines

15/07/2026

𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗖 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗖 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀

The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) successfully concluded its Third Meeting for 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, establishing a comprehensive set of business recommendations aimed at strengthening regional competitiveness, supply chain resilience, and digital capabilities across the Asia-Pacific.

Representing the Philippines, ABAC Member Mr. Kevin Tan advanced national priorities designed to position the domestic economy for sustained, technology-driven growth in the region.

"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗖 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀—𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼,” said Mr. Tan. “By advancing free trade, digital connectivity, resilient supply chains, and sustainable investment across the Asia-Pacific, we can create better jobs, attract higher-quality investments, empower our MSMEs, and ensure that the Philippines shares more fully in the region's growth and prosperity.”

The council adopted several high-impact recommendations for submission to APEC Economic Leaders this November, focusing on the following pillars:

🔹 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 & 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Prioritizing cross-border workforce upskilling alongside synchronized data legislation and common digital standards to safeguard transactions and encourage institutional innovation.
🔹 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Expanding energy-efficient digital infrastructure and green data centers to support rising technology demands while maintaining long-term energy security.
🔹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 & 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: Urging the systematic reduction of non-tariff barriers to insulate local markets from agricultural supply shocks
🔹 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: Accelerating progress toward the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) and the Open Skies agenda to streamline cross-border transit, trade, and educational exchange.

On the sidelines of the plenary, Mr. Tan chaired the 𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗡-𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗖 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝗰𝘂𝘀, a meeting of ABAC Members who are a part of or involved in ASEAN. This session successfully aligned outcomes from the ASEAN Summit in Cebu—including the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) and the proposed ASEAN AI Center for MSME Growth—with ABAC’s broader regional goals. Contributions from ABAC Singapore and ABAC Canada further strengthened commitments for interoperable green trade as well as AI development and cybersecurity networks. ABAC Philippines looks forward to deepening these strategic economic dialogues between ABAC and ASEAN.

Read more in the comments.

BANGKOK, Thailand, 9 July 2026 — Business leaders from the 21 APEC economies today concluded the Third Meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), held from 6 to 9 July in Bangkok, adopting recommendations on artificial intelligence (AI), trade, connectivity, food security, and sustainab...

15/07/2026

Thailand's Prime Minister H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul, who delivered the keynote address at the opening session —Photo from the Apec Business Advisory Council Philippines MANILA, Philippines

08/07/2026

Bilyonaryo Kevin L. Tan, president and chief executive officer of Alliance Global Group, made his official debut on the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), joining private sector leaders in Bangkok to draft policy recommendations for Asia-Pacific leaders amid slowing global growth and rising trade tensions.

Read full story in the comments.

08/07/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗖 𝗜𝗜𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮-𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

Amid slowing global growth and complex trade landscapes, the Third Meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) of 2026 held in Bangkok, Thailand from July 6-9, focused on cross-cutting initiatives, including strengthening regional supply chains, accelerating digital transformation, and charting a sustainable future.

Expounding on the synergy between digital transformation and sustainability, ABAC Philippines, represented by new member, Mr. Kevin Tan, emphasized balanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation through enabling regional regulations and partnerships, focused industry applications, and efficient and clean energy usage.

Thailand Prime Minister H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul supported ABAC's efforts by amplifying calls to regional governments to remove operational barriers, minimize bureaucracy, and create clearer pathways for critical investments.

The private sector recommendations endorsed throughout 2026 will be consolidated into Letters to Ministers and the ABAC Report to Economic Leaders, which will be presented to APEC Leaders in Shenzhen, China in November.

Read more in the comments.

BANGKOK, Thailand, 7 July 2026 — The Philippines joined business leaders from the 21 APEC economies today as the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) opened its Third Meeting in Bangkok, with newly appointed ABAC Philippines Member Kevin L. Tan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alliance G...

28/04/2026

The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) convened its second meeting of 2026 on April 22 to 25 in Mexico City.

Business leaders in the Asia-Pacific concluded with one clear message: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮-𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰.

ABAC reaffirms its commitment to work side-by-side with APEC Leaders and Ministers to advance key priorities, including:
•⁠ ⁠advance a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP)
•⁠ ⁠strengthen supply chain resilience and connectivity
•⁠ ⁠improve trade and logistics infrastructure
•⁠ ⁠expand market diversification and open food trade
•⁠ ⁠accelerate digital trade and transformation
•⁠ ⁠promote women’s economic empowerment
•⁠ ⁠enhance disaster resilience

These recommendations and opportunities for public-private collaboration will be elaborated in the ABAC Letters to Leaders and Ministers.

April 25, 2026, Mexico City, Mexico – The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), representing the region’s large, diverse and dynamic business community, convened its Second Meeting for 2026 in Mexico City from 22 to 25 April with a clear and urgent message: the global trade and investment envir...

17/04/2026

On April 17, ABAC Philippines Alternate Members Amb. Francis Chua and Mr. Guillermo Luz met with delegates from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Guangdong Province, led by Mr. Yao Xinmin, and the Canton Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, led by Mr. Kevin Lim, to discuss cooperation in priority areas, including supply chain resilience, renewable energy, and robotics. The dialogue underscored the importance of strengthening cross-border industry linkages and advancing practical collaboration in emerging sectors.

We thank CCPIT Guangdong Province and Canton Chamber for their time and commitment towards shared prosperity and sustainability.

08/04/2026

On April 8, 2026, ABAC Philippines Alternate Member Guillermo Luz moderated a session at the ASEAN BAC-ABAC APFF Southeast Asia Conference 2026 titled, "𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹, 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮."

The session, "𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻,” focused on:
📍 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 (e.g., among ASEAN and APEC) that clarify and strenghten roles of economies and their cities, multilateral institutions, and private sector players as well as distribute risks better across many players
📍 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 (𝗗𝗥𝗙𝗜𝘀), such as catastrophe bonds and other parametric-based instruments, that offer economies enhanced funds and ability to act prior to a disaster
📍 ⁠𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗥𝗙𝗜𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, encompassing prevalent natural disaster and pandemic risks in an economy and region for greater risk coverage

The discussion with panelists, 𝗠𝘀. 𝗠𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗴 (CEO, Global Asia Insurance Partnership), 𝗠𝗿. 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗼 (Director, Insurance Industry Practice Lead, Moody’s Analytics), 𝗗𝗿. 𝗚𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗿𝗮𝘂𝘁 (Sherpa, APFF Pandemic Insurance Working Group and Global Head, Epidemic Risk Solutions, Munich Re), and 𝗠𝗿. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝗸𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗷𝗲𝗲 (Senior Financial Sector Specialist, Asian Development Bank), reinforces ABAC Philippines’ push to strengthen regional disaster resilience through cross-border coordination, deeper private sector participation, and more scalable risk financing models.

We thank the organizers, APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC), and ABAC Asia Pacific Financial Forum (APFF), for hosting the event.

25/03/2026

𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗖 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗖–𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝗰𝘂𝘀

The handover took place during the first ABAC 2026 meeting, marking the transition from ABAC Malaysia (2025 Chair), represented by ABAC Member Dato’ Hazimah Zainuddin, to ABAC Philippines (2026 Chair). Philippine Permanent Representative to ASEAN Evangeline T. Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq joined the meeting and delivered remarks on behalf of the ABAC Philippines chairmanship.

The Caucus brings together ASEAN ABAC members to align priorities, advance regional initiatives, and engage with partners across APEC.

Building on Malaysia’s progress, ABAC Philippines outlined its 2026 priorities:
1.⁠ ⁠Enhance trade and investment across ASEAN
2.⁠ ⁠⁠Strengthen economic connectivity
3.⁠ ⁠⁠Advance inclusive and sustainable development
4.⁠ ⁠⁠Accelerate business transformation for the digital economy

PR Ducrocq supported this vision, “this Caucus reflects the strong alignment in the work priorities and shared aspirations of ABAC and ASEAN, providing a space for us to build bridges, deepen coordination, and amplify ASEAN’s voice in shaping the Asia-Pacific’s economic agenda.”

Read More: https://abac.ph/2026/02/08/abac-philippines-receives-the-chairmanship-for-the-abac-asean-caucus-from-abac-malaysia/

24/03/2026

𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗖 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲; 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀’ 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗖-𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗖 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

On February 10, 2026, the first meeting of ABAC 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia formally launched its annual work program under the theme: “𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆,” reaffirming the Asia-Pacific business community’s commitment to open markets, deeper regional integration, and collaborative innovation as foundations for sustainable economic growth.

ABAC Philippines supports this mission, particularly by advancing disaster resilience in the region, among others. ABAC Philippines’ “𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲” forum and report, led by Alternate Member Guillermo Luz, re-emphasized the region’s very high exposure to natural disasters. Yet APEC has the potential to be at the forefront of responsive, technology-driven, and collaborative disaster resilience policies and programs. Following the presentation of the report, the Council unanimously agreed and endorsed ABAC Philippines’ recommendations to boost disaster prevention and preparedness.

Read More: https://abac.ph/2026/02/10/abac-philippines-champions-disaster-resilience-philippines-permanent-representative-to-asean-supports-stronger-apec-asean-partnership-at-the-first-meeting-of-abac-2026/

13/03/2026

Why does APEC refer to its members as economies?

In APEC, members participate as economies because cooperation focuses on economic and trade issues. This reflects APEC’s role as a forum for regional economic cooperation across the Asia-Pacific.

Today, APEC brings together 21 economies across the region to promote trade, cooperation and sustainable growth.

Explore more terms in the APEC Glossary:
https://www.apec.org/glossary