The US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) successfully conducted its 2025 Philippines Business Mission from 11 to 14 August, marking the largest-ever mission to the country with participation from 35 U.S. companies. The event is the Council’s flagship business-to-government engagement program and builds on the momentum from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent visit to the White House.
The mission was co-led by Ambassador Ted Osius (ret.), USABC Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director, and the Council’s Philippines Committee Co-Chairs Stephen Braim, Vice President for Government & Regulatory Affairs at IBM, and Paul Favila, Managing Director and CEO at Citi Philippines.
“With close to 60 companies joining this historic back-to-back business missions, the U.S. private sector demonstrates its steady, deep, and enduring commitment to the Philippines as a key partner in the region,” said Ambassador Osius. “The U.S.-Philippines relationship is a unique one and our delegation reflects our collective commitment to supporting the Philippines’ long-term economic growth, innovation, and regional competitiveness.”
The mission commenced with a meeting at Malacañang Palace with Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (SAPIEA) Frederick D. Go and Secretary of Trade and Industry Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque. During the session, U.S. executives reaffirmed their commitment to expanding investments and workforce development programs in the country.
“We are pleased to welcome the record turnout of the US-ASEAN Business Council mission to the Philippines, which affirms the strength of our economic partnership and the confidence of U.S. businesses in the country’s investment climate,” said SAPIEA Secretary Go. “This engagement opens new avenues for strategic public-private partnerships that leverage our countries' complementary strengths in key industries such as electronics, food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and digitalization.”
High-level meetings also involved senior officials from multiple government agencies, including the Departments of ICT, Transportation, Energy, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, and the Philippine Economic Zones Authority. U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Zeno Ronald Abenoja, SEC Chairman Reynaldo Regalado, and other key government leaders were in attendance.
The delegation further engaged Philippine legislators, including Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Representative Miro Quimbo, and concluded the mission with a reception at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence attended by over 155 leaders from government, business, and the diplomatic community.
Guided by the theme “Advancing Inclusive Growth Through Strategic and Resilient Partnerships,” the mission emphasized public-private collaboration in regulatory reform, workforce development, global trade preparedness, and preparations for the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship in 2026.
“Digital transformation is essential to unlocking the next phase of economic growth in the Philippines,” said Stephen Braim of IBM. “IBM is proud to work alongside the Council and the Philippine government to advance initiatives that modernize public services and strengthen the country’s position in an increasingly competitive global economy.”
Paul Favila of Citi added, “As global connectivity accelerates, Citi is happy to support our colleagues in the Council in facilitating investments into the Philippines. This is consistent with our mandate of enabling economic progress that we have been executing for more than a century of doing business and serving our clients in the country.”
Participating companies included IBM, Citi, Coca-Cola, Cargill, Zuellig Pharma, 3M, Abbott, Amazon, American Express, Boeing, Chevron, Cisco, Ford, Jollibee Group, JP Morgan, Lockheed Martin, Mastercard, Netflix, Philip Morris International, Salesforce, TE Connectivity, Texas Instruments, and others.
Since 1984, the US-ASEAN Business Council has represented U.S. corporations in ASEAN, with over 170 member companies generating nearly US$7 trillion in revenue and employing more than 14.5 million people worldwide.