Navigating together

Yesterday we concluded the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2026. Leaders from government and business, MSMEs, farmers and successful entrepreneurs were at the Solaire Resort in Parañaque City to listen and participate in discussions that affect the future of our region’s economy. In malls and small meeting halls around the country, jobseekers, aspiring entrepreneurs and local businessmen listened in to the discussions in Solaire, no doubt dissecting among themselves what these high-level conversations will mean for people on the ground.

Over the last two days, we brought important conversations to life.

We examined ASEAN’s place in a changing world, the future of global trade and investment, food security, energy, the creative economy, industrial transformation and the participation of women, youth and MSMEs in our region’s growth. We also looked at how the Digital Economy Framework Agreement can translate into real opportunities for businesses across borders.

Yesterday, we turned our focus to the age of intelligence. We discussed the infrastructure needed for an AI-driven economy, the emerging space economy, the transformation of financial services, the future of work, responsible AI governance and the investments needed to finance ASEAN’’s digital future.

These might sound like they are totally beyond the appreciation of the ordinary man, but I believe that their impact is far-reaching, as is the case with policies that see life first as abstract ideas. These ideas are refined through discussion and consultation, and operationalized for implementation on the ground. They take a long time to ferment and form precisely because they have such long-term impact on the lives of people.

Take the Digital Economy Framework Agreement, for example. Once signed, it will be the world’s first digital governance agreement, and it will be implemented over a region made up of many nations with different regulations. How it is worded and framed and set out for implementation will affect things like how we trade, how we pay, what goods end up on our shelves and at what price. And that is just what the consumers see. DEFA took a very long time to come to life precisely because it will affect our lives in ASEAN (maybe even beyond) so profoundly.

Our very own legacy program at ASEAN-BAC, the ASEAN Food Security Alliance (AFSA), brought in experts from several disciplines before we could confidently say it was ready; but the returns were worth it: billions of pesos in potential investment and thousands of jobs to be created. And that’s just the economic benefits; with AFSA, we stand to gain long-term solutions to food security and enjoy a strong agricultural economy not just for the Philippines, but for the entire region.

This week, as ABIS concludes, it will be time for the 49th ASEAN Summit, where leaders of ASEAN and its partners will no doubt take on the job of steering the region through increasingly complex global conditions. Consider what is happening around the world right now: several wars are going on, cybersecurity threats are becoming increasingly more disruptive and dangerous, there is energy insecurity and climate change is threatening food and water supplies for everyone on the planet. At no time in our recent history is cooperation more crucial, but it starts with people sitting down to figure out solutions that work.

That ASEAN prefers to talk it out is a hallmark of its success. Rarely is a dispute settled with violence; when this happens, you can be sure that it will make headlines because it is the exception rather than the rule.

Such cordial relations is remarkable, considering how different our cultures, languages, religions and political systems are. There are very rich countries in ASEAN, and there are very poor ones. All 11 member-states sit at the same table and have an equal voice. The aspiration for inclusivity is very real and is deeply felt.

The formal steps toward integration can be marked by the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015. This announced to the world that integration is a goal that ASEAN intends to pursue as it aims to become a force as a region of growth and, more importantly these days, unity and stability.

But as we talk business and regional stability, it doesn’t mean we cannot celebrate our successes. During ABIS, we celebrated business excellence through the ASEAN Business Awards. These awards recognize enterprises that have demonstrated the potential to grow beyond their domestic markets and scale regionally and internationally. They are a reminder that today’s small or emerging enterprise can become tomorrow’s leading ASEAN brand. Recognition is important because it inspires others to innovate and grow.

We had winners from the airline and fintech industries, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a small nut processing company from Myanmar. We gave recognition to a regional advocacy organization representing the European Union, and at the same time honored a Filipino technological school that offers accessible skills training. This drives home the point that efforts toward regional prosperity are varied. We all contribute in our own way, and every drop in the bucket is a contribution.

These examples show that ASEAN’s strength does not come from everyone doing the same thing. It comes from different people, businesses and countries bringing their strengths to a common effort. The challenge is to turn that diversity into shared progress by staying focused on what we can achieve together, even as we follow different paths to get there.

To put it as a metaphor, when the waters are calm, we can go and sail farther. In order to sail farther, we need to be facing the same direction and rowing together. That’s how we get places, and that’s how we go further, together.