Left to right: Apple Evangelista, Melissa Vergel de Dios, Arnaud Peral, Leo Lagon, Sharon Gulmatico and Sarah Bergado
Manila, Philippines — Global Compact Network Philippines (GCNP), the country network of the United Nations Global Compact, has elected a new set of officers for 2026–2027.
GCNP’s new officers include: PLDT’s Chief Sustainability Officer Melissa Vergel de Dios as Chairman, Globe Telecom Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility Apple Evangelista as Vice Chair, PTC Holdings Corp. Executive Director for Corporate Public Policy, Risk, and Sustainability Major General Restituto Padilla as Secretary, Bayo Manila Inc. Co-CEO and Chief Finance Officer Leo Lagon as Treasurer, Morination Agricultural Products CEO and Head of SDG Investments Dr. Sharon Jean Gulmatico as Vice President for Participant Relations, and Manila Water Company Corporate Center Director for Sustainability Sarah Bergado as Vice President for Marketing.
This new leadership signals GCNP’s renewed push to deepen private sector engagement in advancing sustainability and supporting the Philippines in contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
GCNP aims to take a more proactive role in helping Philippine corporates and SMEs integrate sustainability into their core operations, providing opportunities for capacity-building, networking, and alignment with global best practices.
GCNP also plans to foster stronger linkages between Philippine companies and UN agencies to create strategic partnerships that can accelerate progress on the UN SDGs, particularly in areas of climate action, gender equality, living wage, water resilience, finance and investment.
UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Arnaud Peral, honorary member of GCNP’s Board, recently welcomed the new Board and vowed to help GCNP deepen engagements with the various UN agencies in the Philippines.
GCNP is the country network of the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest voluntary organization of corporates and businesses that commit to align with the Ten Principles on human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption while accelerating their contributions to the UN SDGs.
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About the Global Compact Network Philippines
The Global Compact Network Philippines (GCNP) is the country network of the United Nations Global Compact, uniting participants from top Philippine corporations, SMEs, business associations, academe and civil society to advance responsible business practices. Committed to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), GCNP guides organizations to adapt global frameworks into practical, localized strategies that enhance competitiveness, reduce compliance risk, and attract partners and investors. Therefore, contributing to the well-being of people and the planet.
About the UN Global Compact
As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the vision of the UN Global Compact is clear: to mobilize business to transform sustainability ambition into action at the scale the world demands. With more than 25,000 participants and a presence in over 100 countries through 5 Regional Hubs and more than 70 Country Networks and expansion territories, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.