As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines is positioning itself to push for a more competitive and investor-friendly regional business environment, with a new forum aimed at translating policy dialogue into concrete reforms.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC) and the Committee on Business and Environment Investment Promotion (CBIP), will host the ASEAN Business Environment Forum 2026 on March 11 in Bonifacio Global City.
The gathering, organized with the Asian Development Bank, will convene ASEAN ministers, senior officials and private sector leaders to examine ways to improve the region’s investment climate. Discussions will focus on regulatory efficiency, digitalization and deeper public-private collaboration — key pillars for making Southeast Asia more attractive to global capital.
According to FTSC executive director Benedict Uy, the forum reflects Manila’s broader strategy of turning ASEAN’s extensive policy conversations into measurable outcomes. The Philippines, he said, aims to push initiatives that directly improve the ease of doing business across the region.
The event is strategically timed ahead of the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Retreat, allowing recommendations from business leaders to feed into ministerial discussions and potentially shape regional policy directions.
The timing is also significant. Global trade faces renewed volatility, from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East to tariff disputes between the US and China. Against this backdrop, ASEAN economies are under pressure to strengthen coordination and maintain their appeal as an integrated investment destination.
Under the theme “From Foreign Policy to Performance: Making ASEAN Work for Business,” the forum underscores a practical shift in regional economic diplomacy: less rhetoric, more implementation.
The Philippines said ASEAN competitiveness will depend not just on policy commitments, but on how effectively member states execute them.
