The Philippine Star
October 23, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The chaos surrounding the issue of systemic corruption in the Philippines looms large as a private sector delegation prepares for the country’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2026.
ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines chair and incoming ASEAN-BAC chair Jose Ma. “Joey” Concepcion III expressed this concern in his speech during the 51st Philippine Business Conference & Expo last Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.
This comes as he and members of ASEAN-BAC Philippines, including George Barcelon and Michael Tan, prepare to leave for Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit and the turnover of the ASEAN chairmanship from Malaysia to the Philippines.
Speaking at a plenary session of the event organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Concepcion called the corruption scandal “a big setback.”
“It reflects so poorly on the Philippines,” he said. “I know that the private sector plays a huge role in economic growth, but it is also important that our legislators understand that we cannot do this alone,” he added.
Concepcion pointed out that ASEAN 2026 will be the biggest event of its scale under President Marcos’ administration. “As we host ASEAN in 2026, we have to project that the Philippines has a great future,” he said.
“We have to project that this country is an honest country — that we do not steal from our people,” he said.
At the same time, he thanked government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Office of the First Lady for supporting efforts to help the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises through collaborations with Go Negosyo, the non-profit he founded in 2005 to advocate for small entrepreneurs. He also thanked the PCCI, whose members regularly volunteer to become mentors to MSMEs through Go Negosyo’s public entrepreneurship mentoring events across the country.
MSMEs will be a priority agenda for the ASEAN-BAC chairmanship, along with agriculture and food security, the creative industries, digital technologies and human capital development, specifically the economic empowerment of women and youth.
“If we want this country to be more inclusive, it cannot be just the few who are enjoying prosperity… The key is to bring about greater prosperity for every Filipino,” he said.
Concepcion was a panelist in a session on “Scaling Local Enterprises for Global Impact.” The session was opened by DTI Secretary Cristina Roque, who presented the government’s key initiatives and programs that empower MSMEs to embrace digital transformation.