51st Philippine Business Conference & Expo Media Launch
18 August 2025, 10:30 AM | Commerce and Industry Plaza, McKinley Town
Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

Consul Enunina V. Mangio, PCCI, Chamber of Commerce, President, George Barcelon, of course, Chairman of PCCI. Of course, Dennis Anthony Uy, good morning. Of course, Michael Tan, good morning. And of course our fellow public servants, valued partners from the private sector, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning to everyone.

It is my privilege to stand before you today at the Philippine Business Conference, a gathering that embodies a shared vision for prosperous, resilient, and dynamic Philippines. This year’s theme, “The Future Is Now: Unleash the Power of Digital Transformation.” It is not just a call to action; it is a clear reflection of our present reality. The digital age is no longer a distant horizon, it is the ground we stand on.

The digital age is something that we must really do as in now. We must really get into this aggressively and urgently as this is really what our country needs, especially that we are 7,600 islands and the global world is already digital, so we must need to adapt urgently.

Digital transformation is a top priority of President Ferdinand R. Marcos’ administration. We are aggressively innovating our products, embracing new tools, and expanding our reach into both local and global markets.

We are also working with companies such as Converge to really get this going right now. We can’t wait any longer because first, this is really the main mandate of our president. We are steadfast in our commitment to creating a more resilient, competitive, and inclusive business environment for everyone.

At the Department of Trade and Industry, we have three main mandates. Number one is the foreign trade and international investment, which our president is really very aggressive on. If you notice, we really do a lot of presidential visits because we really want foreign investments to come in. Aside from the income that it generates for our country, the large income, it’s also the jobs that it provides.

Our number one export is our people, and our president does not want to export our people. He wants them to stay here with family because he really acknowledges the strength of the family, and he really wants them to be together.

Number two is the consumer protection and fair trade. We need to protect the consumers from the products that are being sold in the market. Madami na tayong pumapasok na mga produkto from other countries. So, we need to make sure that consumers are protected from these products.

And of course, number three is the MSME development, which is 99.5% of the business establishment, and a sector that we definitely cannot ignore. We level up the MSMEs, we level up the GDPs instantaneously. Actually, we have good numbers now.

Our GDP is 5.5%. Our export has really increased by 26.1%, and we are really getting a lot of foreign investments to our country. So again, we can’t do this alone. We must do this all together.

But the strength of the government cannot do this alone. Although we have adopted a whole-government approach, meaning lahat kami, cabinet secretaries, help each other or coordinate just to get the job done. So again, if there’s anything that you may need from us, or at least from the Department of Trade and Industry, you may message me.

We have three years to go to the Marcos administration, so if there’s anything, we want to get things done. Our success depends on the strength of our partnership with you, the private sector. Your insights and feedbacks are invaluable as we formulate policies that are responsive to our needs and your needs.

The government can set the stage, but it is your collective vision, courage, and action that will truly unleash the power of digital transformation. Together, let us build a future where every Filipino entrepreneur, no matter their size or location, can harness technology to achieve their dreams.

Through a whole-of-nation approach and through a whole-of-government approach, we can build a Bagong Pilipinas that is more prosperous, more innovative, more inclusive for all, that no one is left behind.

Again, thank you and may this conference be a great success. Good morning to everyone. ♦

Date of Release: 18 August 2025