The Sustainability Summit 2026 examined how businesses can embed, sustain and scale sustainability to stay resilient.
MAKATI CITY, Philippines — The UN Global Compact Network Philippines (GCNP) and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Philippines convened the 8th Sustainability Summit on 14 October 2026 at Makati Diamond Residences. Nearly 250 participants from business, government, civil society, academe and the United Nations examined how sustainability can be embedded, sustained and scaled to strengthen business resilience.
The Summit, held under the theme “Beyond Commitments: Sustainability for Business Resilience,” marks the first partnership between a UN Global Compact country network and an ASEAN Business Advisory Council. The partnership comes in the Philippines’ year as ASEAN Chair, a role it takes on only once a decade.
The Global Compact Network Philippines (GCNP) Board of Trustees on stage with distinguished morning plenary speakers. From left to right: Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., GCNP Trustee and Executive Director for Corporate Public Policy, Risk and Sustainability, PTC Group; Dr. Sharon Jean Gulmatico, GCNP Trustee and CEO and Head of SDG Investments, Morination Agricultural Products; Melissa Vergel de Dios, GCNP Chairperson and Chief Sustainability Officer, PLDT; Hon. Ma. Cristina A. Roque, Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Jose Ma. Concepcion III, Chairman, ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines, and Founder, Go Negosyo; Apple Evangelista, GCNP Vice Chair and Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Globe Telecom; Arnaud Peral, United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Philippines; Atty. Leo Lagon, GCNP Trustee, Co-CEO and Chief Finance Officer of Bayo Manila Inc.; and Sarah Bergado, GCNP Trustee, Corporate Center Director for Sustainability, Manila Water Company.
In a video message, UN Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director and CEO of the UN Global Compact, Sanda Ojiambo, described how the partnership makes this Summit particularly special and highlighted the future collaboration that comes with it.
“No company or sector can transform outdated systems in isolation,” said Ojiambo. “We need Governments to create incentives and enabling environments for sustainable business. And we need civil society to mobilize collective action and drive scalable, forward-thinking solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.”
UN Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director and CEO of the UN Global Compact, Sanda Ojiambo delivers a video message at the GCNP Sustainability Summit 2026
Chairperson of the Global Compact Network Philippines and Chief Sustainability Officer of PLDT, Melissa Vergel de Dios, emphasized the shared values of both organizations. “In ASEAN-BAC Philippines, we find a partner whose priorities mirror ours: advancing regional collaboration, sustainable and inclusive growth, including support for SMEs. We look forward to having our collaboration model replicated across the various ASEAN BACs and the UNGC local networks.”
“We must help ordinary entrepreneurs understand that sustainability is not simply an added cost. When done right, it can reduce waste, improve efficiency, manage risks, and make business more competitive,” said Jose Ma. Concepcion III, Chairman of ASEAN-BAC 2026.
Arnaud Peral, United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, called for stronger public-private partnerships to deliver “actionable impacts that will really change the situation for the poorest, for all Filipinos and Filipinas who are left behind.”
Representing President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Secretary of Trade and Industry Cristina A. Roque said, “The Philippine government remains steadfast in its efforts to incorporate sustainability in our economic development. But I also call on the business community to make sustainability an integral part of its operations and investments.”
Sustainability as the key to business and economic resilience
Resilience, the Summit’s expert speakers argued, is what protects the economic gains the Philippines has made. “Investment builds capacity, adoption builds capability, and resilience protects the gains,” said Jun Neri, Lead Economist and Senior Vice President of BPI, who added that the Philippines’ promotion to upper middle income status “is not a signal to relax; it is a signal the competition has changed.”
“Climate risk is a margin, balance sheet, and growth issue. So my question: What is the cost of investing as if conditions will stay stable?” said Benjamin Villacorte, Climate Change and Sustainability Services Leader at SGV & Co.
Leaders from BPI, G-XChange, Potato Corner and Angkas responded to those perspectives at the CEO Forum, moderated by Mercato Centrale Co-Founder RJ Ledesma. The panel emphasized that building resilience requires strict financial discipline alongside practical, accessible sustainability strategies tailored for both large enterprises and MSMEs.
Philippine business leaders sat together at the CEO Forum to discuss sustainability in a dynamic business landscape. The forum was moderated by RJ Ledesma, Co-Founder of Mercato Centrale Philippines, and featured Jose Teodoro “TG” Limcaoco, President and CEO of the Bank of the Philippine Islands; Oscar Enrico Reyes, President and CEO of G-XChange; Jorge Wieneke, Co-Founder of Potato Corner; and Angeline Tham, Founder of Angkas.
Eight breakout sessions followed, moving from how a business is run to the conditions that let sustainability scale. The four morning sessions covered protecting operations from disruption, engaging employees in the transformation, creating customer value, and directing capital to projects with measurable environmental, social and financial value. The four afternoon sessions turned to the enabling conditions: investable sustainability projects, technology that solves real business needs, clear and predictable policy, and a workforce with the right skills.
Across the sessions, the message was consistent: sustainability builds resilience and creates value when it is part of a business’s core strategy.
Scaling sustainability across ASEAN
Moderator Mariz Umali of GMA News with Melissa Vergel de Dios and Gil Gonzales on stage, and Neha Das and David Fogarty joining online.
The ASEAN Collaboration Outlook brought together UN Global Compact leaders from Asia-Pacific and the ASEAN-BAC Philippines to examine how regional cooperation can scale business sustainability.
“Ultimately, regional cooperation should make it easier for businesses to become sustainable and do it at scale,” said Neha Das, Regional Head of the UN Global Compact Asia-Pacific.
Scaling sustainability means bringing small businesses in. Gil Gonzales of ASEAN-BAC Philippines pointed to the Circular Economy Toolkit, developed and promoted by the East Asia Business Council (EABC) and the ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA). It gives small businesses a simple, concrete way to see where they stand, what they need and what to do next.
Asked what sustainability means in people’s daily lives, Melissa Vergel de Dios, Chairperson of the Global Compact Network Philippines, said: “To the ordinary person on the street, sustainability is making sure that there will be water from your tap if there is responsible management of water usage. There will be managed costs for electricity if producers start to look for renewable sources of energy.”
As the ASEAN Chairship passes to Singapore in 2027, David Fogarty, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Singapore, said the handover should be a continuation rather than a change of host. “Success should not be measured by the conversations we are having or the commitments we make, but what we are actually able to implement,” he added.
The Philippines joined the UN Global Compact Government Group this year. Along with growing collaboration with ASEAN-BAC and Global Compact Country Networks across Asia-Pacific, Philippine companies have the opportunity to help shape regional and global priorities.
###
About the Summit
The Sustainability Summit is the annual high-level convening of the Global Compact Network Philippines. The 2026 edition, the 8th, was held on 14 October 2026 at Makati Diamond Residences under the theme “Beyond Commitments: Sustainability for Business Resilience,” in keeping with ASEAN’s 2026 theme, “Navigating Our Future, Together.” The programme ran in four parts: why resilience matters, how sustainability is embedded in the organization, what enables it to scale, and how collective action can shape the next ASEAN sustainability priorities.
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 ASEAN Business Advisory Council
The ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) is the region’s apex private sector advisory body, established in 2001 to provide business insights and recommendations to ASEAN Leaders. It serves as the primary platform for the private sector to engage with policymakers, advocate for economic cooperation, and advance the ASEAN’s integration agenda.
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.