High-level charm offensive

The Philippines is turning up the charm to get that global glitz as it led the recent Trilateral Commission’s Asia-Pacific Group meeting. It’s been over a decade since the country last played host to this brainy, policy-wonk extravaganza.

The agenda was a real head-turner: climate change, energy policy, foreign relations, AI and tech competition — all the juicy stuff shaping the world today.

For the uninitiated, the Trilateral Commission is basically “The Avengers” of global policymaking, gathering senior policymakers, business bigwigs and academic hotshots to tackle the world’s trickiest issues.

Representing the Philippines were some heavy hitters: Ayala Corp. president and CEO Cezar Consing, Philippine Veterans Bank chairman Roberto de Ocampo, and Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy president Amina Rasul-Bernardo.

“Like many emerging markets, the Philippines benefited from the cooperation between regions and nations that followed World War II,” Ayala Corp. chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala mused, delivering one of his signature quotable moments.

“Global cooperation has encouraged the free movement of capital, goods, and people, which has been net positive for our country,” he noted.

The soiree wasn’t all talk. A dinner at the Ayala Museum brought a touch of glamor, with dignitaries rubbing elbows, including former Philippine Prime Minister Cesar Virata, the OG Filipino member of the Trilateral Commission.

Zobel de Ayala, ever the globalization cheerleader, underscored the importance of outfits like the Trilateral Commission in keeping economies ticking in a connected world. And let’s not forget that the commission’s think tank vibe often churns out policy ideas that make waves across the Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe.

The global spotlight, intellectual fireworks, and a dash of Ayala’s trademark elegance — Manila’s got it all.

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A community of Molbog indigenous people in Sitio Mariahangin, Barangay Bugsuk, Balabac, Palawan, an idyllic place, is seeking help to stop a conglomerate notorious for manipulating situations to favor its interests from taking over their land.

Alleged members of the Philippine police and representatives of the dominant firm tried to enter their community, implying threats of displacement.

For three days, residents took turns guarding their small island village to prevent the armed persons from entering their community.

In a video posted on social media, police in battle gear claimed they had the “right to inspect areas without coordination or a permit from the community.”

“We did not allow them to enter because they did not have proper coordination with us. While there was tension and negotiations between the residents and the police, SMC people were seen trying to enter our island,” a representative of the tribal community said.

Encroaching on their land and the demolition of their homes would give way to a large-scale eco-luxury tourism project spanning more than 5,500 hectares, known as the Bugsuk Island Resort. The proposed project is scheduled for completion in 2038.

The IPs were even threatened at gunpoint earlier this year to force them out of their ancestral lands.

“We cannot sleep well these days because we fear that they will enter the community. Our husbands have skipped work, and our livelihoods have been paralyzed just so we can defend our ancestral land from their attempts to seize it. Our children sometimes do not have anything to eat,” said the island natives.

The islanders have asked the Marcos administration to address their plight. They have also called on the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the harassment they are being subjected to. They have likewise asked the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to help them with their claim to their ancestral land.