Mekeni is Capampangan for “come here.”

As the war in the Middle East drags on, it might benefit the Philippine government to go to Porac, Pampanga and check out how this family-owned meat processing business has survived and thrived through various crises:

The EDSA People Power 1986, when the company was founded; the 1991 Pinatubo eruption that covered most of Central Luzon in volcanic dust, lahar, and floods for about a decade; the 1996-1997 Asian financial crisis; the sporadic but systemic foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and African swine fever (ASF) that wiped out the key ingredients in most of their finished products; the Covid-19 pandemic; and personal bereavements in its leadership.

“We were founded and have thrived in discomfort, not comfort,” said Mekeni president and CEO Prudencio “Pruds” Garcia.

Here, he offers three concrete lessons not just for businesses, but for policymakers searching for a roadmap in this age of BANI (brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible):

1. Keep calm – and institutionalize calm leadership.

“Be calm, that’s my first obligation as leader of the company. Because of uncertainties, normal lang mag‑panic. Normal lang mag‑alala. But if your people see you as medyo na-sh‑shake, the panic spreads and multiplies,” Garcia said.

“In uncertainties, you have to pause, relax, and talk to the Lord, and listen to His message. You may not have the answer right away, but at least it will give you the peace of mind, the calmness, not just to think about yourself, but also the community and the country.”

“Besides, you cannot think clearly when you are panicking,” he added.

So he has instructed his executive committee to think up of ways to “tighten the belt” and “delay the impact” of the war on their workers, community, customers, and suppliers.

Policy lesson number 1: Model calm leadership.

And that means the country’s leaders must:

• Speak frankly about the risks from the Middle East war — on fuel, inflation, and remittances — through empowering messaging. For instance, massively get everyone’s participation in conserving energy, water, and other precious resources to help “delay the impact” of the war, extend the supply of these resources, and eventually shift to a green, circular economy, where reuse-reduce-recycle is a national mantra and an everyday habit.
• Lay out, in advance, trigger‑based responses. For instance, if oil breaches a certain level, or if a major shipping lane is disrupted, the government will start rationing fuel with a clear, logical, easy-to-understand, and easy-to-execute rationing plan.
• Communicate regularly and consistently so that everyone understands the plan and do not fill the information vacuum with rumors.

Mekeni’s experience shows that calm is the enabling condition for rational, humane crisis decisions.

2. Helping others is the best way to help yourself.

Mekeni’s most powerful lesson is deceptively simple and rooted in the Filipino concept of kapwa.

“The best time to help is not when you’re comfortable; the best time to help is kung nagsasa-suffer ka rin,” Garcia said.

This ethic, deeply ingrained by Garcia’s parents who founded the company, has shaped their response to all the crises they’ve faced and overcome. After the 1991 Pinatubo eruption, their Tatang asked three of the five Garcia sons who were working abroad to come home and rebuild their ash-covered community.

“All of us worked day and night to rebuild from the devastation of Pinatubo. Ang slogan namin: We have to survive. And for us to survive, we have to help others to survive,” Garcia said.

After an ASF attack on their brand and just as they were preparing a US launch, Covid‑19 arrived. Early on, management realized that the pandemic would last “years, not weeks,” and that their instinct to protect only the balance sheet would have devastating domino effects.

Instead, they made three counter‑intuitive moves:

• Pay suppliers “at least a week earlier than terms so suppliers could also provide for their own people.”
• Ensure that “ang sweldo, the latest is always on time, not one day after.”
• Rebuild their product mix “to avoid layoffs because we have to take care of our people.” Born as an employment buffer, their new “bayani lines” that include fish ball, kikiam, and siopao later became their first exports to the US. In other words, their people‑first approach opened new markets and revenue streams.

Now, with the war in the Middle East, the question for Mekeni management is how to shield “our people, the community, our customers, of course the suppliers” from the energy and logistics shock, even if the macro environment is beyond their control.

Policy lesson number 2: The country’s crisis architecture must reward and reinforce people‑first decisions.

That may mean government helps and fast-tracks the:

• Design of subsidy or support schemes that kick in quickly for firms that commit to no‑layoff or minimal‑layoff policies during defined shock periods.
• Short‑term financing and tax relief to firms that maintain on‑time payments to small suppliers, recognizing that this keeps entire local supply chains alive.
• Support of product diversification efforts — through technical assistance, export promotion, and regulatory flexibility — when firms pivot to protect jobs, as Mekeni did in its “bayani lines.”

The precept that “when you help others, you help yourself” is a description of how resilience is built from the bottom up.

3. Think global, act local.

From a small rural town in the Philippines, Mekeni has had to think like a global company. Its customers include overseas Filipinos, its inputs are exposed to volatile world prices, and its market is shaped by foreign outbreaks (FMD and ASF), pandemics, and now war.

When the Middle East conflict escalated, Garcia did not treat it as someone else’s problem. He immediately traced ripple effects on energy, logistics, and the orders of customers in the region.

At the same time, his concrete actions are disarmingly local: strengthen support for workers and nearby communities, recalibrate the company’s 40‑year plan because “the environment has changed,” and insist that while plans must change, “the goal cannot change: We have to be stronger for our people, for the community.”

Policy lesson number 3: Read the war globally, but respond locally.

For the Philippine government, that could mean:

• Granular mapping of barangays and sectors most exposed to Middle East risks: agri‑food chains heavily reliant on fuel and imported inputs, ports or logistics hubs vulnerable to route disruptions, and communities with high concentrations of OFW families.
• Targeting assistance — fuel discounts, logistics subsidies, credit guarantees, and social protection — into hotspots instead of spreading support too thinly.
• Working with LGUs, co‑ops, and business groups to co‑design local contingency plans. For example, transport sharing, community‑level energy conservation, and emergency income support tied to local public works (similar to TUPAD).

By thinking globally but acting locally, protections are concrete and felt where they are needed most.

‘Hindi ka dapat sumuko’

To the Garcias, crises are tests of leadership, integrity, and community. To them, the Mekeni story is about enduring crises with calm, compassion, and local action.

Come here, the Mekeni founder once told his sons in 1991. Help rebuild the community that allowed you to finish school and opened opportunities for the family.  

Through every crisis, Mekeni applied these three lessons together as a family, as a business, as a community — as one team.

“We have to work as a team. Hindi pwede ang kanya-kanyang kayod. We have to work toward one direction,” Pruds said.

Through all these crises, Mekeni has grown from about 20 employees in 1991 to 1,400 today. The 1,400 families who now depend on the company are the main reason Tatang ultimately pulled back his own fatherly advice for Pruds to sell, given after two brothers passed away during the pandemic and Pruds had resolved to sleep only four hours a night for two years to cover the work his brothers left behind.

“Hindi ka dapat sumuko.” You cannot give up because of them, his father told him.

The same inclination can sometimes run in public leadership, as there are limits to what one state can control in a global war. But within those limits, there is enormous room to choose calm over panic, people over short‑term profit, and grounded local action over abstract rhetoric — altogether and all together, working as one.

In the story of the Philippines, this war may be the one in which the country and its people emerge not unscathed, but still standing — because we never gave up on each other.

Speaking during a recent meeting with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), Lyster praised the Filipino diaspora as a highly skilled and trusted workforce that has become an integral part of Norwegian society.

He described Filipinos as “high-quality, skilled professionals” who continue to strengthen Norway’s maritime industry — an area where ties between the two countries run deep, with Norwegian shipping firms recruiting Filipino seafarers for decades.

The Filipino community in Norway, estimated at 20,000 to 25,000, may be relatively small but plays an outsized role in key industries, particularly shipping and healthcare, where many work as seafarers and nurses.

Beyond economic contributions, Lyster underscored the importance of recognizing overseas Filipino excellence through initiatives such as the Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO), noting their role in highlighting the community’s achievements.

The meeting also reflected Manila’s evolving approach to migration, as CFO Secretary Dante “Klink” Ang II outlined a shift from administrative oversight to active diaspora engagement for national development.

Ang said the agency is strengthening programs that allow Filipinos abroad to contribute meaningfully to the Philippines while ensuring their welfare and protection.

Under its mandate, the CFO works with Philippine embassies and host governments to monitor migrant welfare, review program guidelines, and prepare departing Filipinos with knowledge of their destination countries’ laws and culture.

The discussions also tackled emerging migration challenges, including human trafficking, domestic violence, and changing global labor conditions.

To improve coordination, both sides emphasized the need for stronger bilateral data sharing. Lyster reaffirmed Norway’s openness to deeper collaboration and institutional support for Filipino migrants.

The CFO, an agency under the Office of the President, focuses on permanent migrants and diaspora communities, complementing the work of the Department of Migrant Workers, which serves overseas Filipino workers and temporary migrants.

As the Philippines deepens engagement with its global diaspora, the experience of Filipinos in Norway stands out as a model of successful integration, where professional excellence, cultural adaptability, and long-standing bilateral ties converge.

The planned investment, discussed during a mid-March meeting with Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go, underscores increasing investor confidence in the Philippines’ tech-driven growth story and its long-term economic fundamentals.

The Department of Finance (DOF) said the capital infusion is expected to expand access to funding for high-growth startups, enabling them to scale operations, generate jobs, and deliver more competitive products and services.

“Foxmont’s continued engagement with Philippine startups reflects strong confidence in the country’s long-term fundamentals and policies. Their investment will help our startups scale, strengthen Filipino talent, foster innovation, and build agile enterprises that deliver more accessible products and services to Filipinos,” Secretary Frederick Go said.

Foxmont, a Philippines-focused venture capital firm, is doubling down on the local ecosystem as momentum builds. The country’s startup sector attracted $1.5 billion in private capital in 2025, a 34% increase from the previous record of $1.12 billion, signaling stronger investor appetite for technology-enabled enterprises.

The firm is currently raising its third fund and aims to expand investments in companies addressing real market needs while driving inclusive growth.

“Foxmont’s planned investments into the Philippines reflect our continued conviction in Philippine companies that can drive productivity, scale efficiently, and compete in higher-value sectors. We see strong opportunities to work alongside partners across government and the broader ecosystem to deepen private capital’s impact on the economy,” said Foxmont Managing Partner Franco Varona.

Since 2018, Foxmont has deployed over ₱1 billion across two funds, backing startups in fintech, e-commerce, and digital platforms.

Despite recent gains, Foxmont noted that private capital in the Philippines still accounts for only 0.3% of GDP, leaving significant room for expansion. Its latest investment plan signals confidence that the country can further position itself as a competitive player in the global startup landscape.

The DOF, for its part, reaffirmed support for initiatives that attract venture capital and scale innovation-driven enterprises, viewing private capital as a key driver of job creation and long-term economic growth.

The financing, signed on March 17, 2026, will support the Marine Ecosystems for Blue Economy Development Program Subprogram 1 (MEBED1), a government initiative focused on strengthening the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of coastal and marine resources.

Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go said the investment is aimed at turning environmental protection into a driver of economic growth.

“By strengthening the foundations of the blue economy, we are securing livelihoods, raising incomes, and reinforcing a vital engine of national growth, today and for the future,” he said in a news release.

The €200-million financing from KfW will fund reforms and operations to improve regulatory capacity and address long-standing challenges in managing the country’s marine and coastal ecosystems.

The program is expected to benefit over three million Filipinos, including fisherfolk, aquaculture operators, and tourism workers, by creating more sustainable income opportunities and strengthening the resilience of coastal communities.

The agreement was signed by Secretary Go and KfW Management Committee Member Stephan Opitz, underscoring the growing development partnership between the Philippines and Germany.

Go said the deal reflects a shared commitment to aligning environmental protection with economic development.

The signing ceremony was attended by DOF Undersecretary Joven Z. Balbosa and German Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Mathias Kruse.

KfW is Germany’s state-owned development bank, headquartered in Frankfurt, and is among the largest development financing institutions in the world.

The event was also the first time the Philippine President hosted a Bhutanese leader at the Malacañan Palace.

President Marcos conveyed to the Prime Minister during the meeting that the current efforts to organize the representation for non-resident ambassadors between the Philippines and Bhutan will become more important to enhance ties, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

The President also expressed elation over the present engagement between the Philippines and Bhutan through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for skills training and upskilling of workers.

President Marcos likewise stressed that after the pandemic, there is a realization of the need to forge new partnerships with friends around the world, not only in tourism and cultural exchange, but also in people-to-people, trade, and investment.

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, who is visiting Manila to attend the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Asia Pacific Food Systems Forum (APFSF) 2026 this March, requested a call on the President on the sidelines of the event.

The Bhutanese leader’s visit is the first in the era of formal diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Bhutan since their establishment on October 6, 2025.

The meeting between the two leaders is an important opportunity for substantive engagement on priority areas of bilateral and broader cooperation.

The Philippines has been exporting commodities to Bhutan that include electronic products, machinery, and transport equipment, as well as woodcrafts and furniture.

Its top import commodities from Bhutan, on the other hand, are wine, fresh grapes, and virgin olive oil.

In terms of tourism, the Philippines welcomed 335 Bhutanese tourists as of November last year. In 2024, there were 380 tourist arrivals from Bhutan.

As for the Filipino diaspora in Bhutan, available information indicates that Filipinos work there as hotel managers.

The Philippines’ first Growth and Jobs Development Policy Loan (G&J DPL1), backed by the World Bank-International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (WB-IBRD), is a policy-based budget support for the Philippine government’s reform agenda.

This is the first WB financing to be secured under Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go’s leadership, which aims to strengthen fiscal sustainability and accelerate economic recovery and job creation.

“This financing from the World Bank is a strong vote of confidence in the Philippines’ growth path. Part of what makes this financing so important is our firm commitment to fiscal discipline, ensuring that every peso is spent wisely to create jobs, support businesses, and strengthen public services for the benefit of all Filipinos,” Secretary Go said.

“I thank the World Bank for their continued partnership in helping the Philippines achieve its growth and development goals,” he added.

The JPY 123.088 billion (USD 800 million) DPL will focus on three pillars.

First is strengthening fiscal management by improving resource mobilization and spending wisely to ensure that funds are directed towards priority investments in infrastructure and human capital.

Second is enhancing opportunities for private investment and innovation through policies that streamline ease of doing business and allow them to grow and offer quality jobs.

Third is building labor force capabilities by improving education to technical and vocational training so workers have the skills to access higher-quality jobs and businesses can find the talent they need to expand.

The WB-IBRD is providing the G&J DPL1 in recognition of the Philippine government’s accomplishments in policy reform and its ongoing commitment to deliver results.

“The World Bank is proud to continue supporting the Philippines’ priorities — turning strong growth into more and better-paying jobs. By strengthening fiscal foundations, improving the business climate, and investing in human capital, this effort will unlock private investment and equip people with the skills they need to find jobs and thrive,” said Zafer Mustafaoğlu, World Bank Division Director for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.

The WB-IBRD financing supports the Philippines government’s efforts to create jobs, boost growth, and strengthen public services.

These contrasts raise an uncomfortable but urgent question: When the future of work arrives faster than expected, who gets left behind?

That question matters now more than ever, as generative artificial intelligence (AI) begins to reshape work across the Philippines.

A new research brief by the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that more than one in four jobs or around 12.7 million in total are exposed to generative AI in the Philippines, the highest rate among ASEAN countries with comparable data. Exposure does not mean jobs will disappear overnight. Most will not. But many will change, sometimes quickly, sometimes painfully — demanding new skills, better protection, and deliberate policy choices.

What concerns me most is this: The shift is not gender-neutral.

The same ILO research shows that women in the Philippines face twice the rate of AI exposure as men, particularly young and educated women concentrated in clerical, administrative, and service roles — occupations that AI can automate or fundamentally transform. In regions such as Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, where digital and business services dominate, women shoulder a disproportionate share of the risk.

Without targeted action, AI could widen existing inequalities, reinforcing barriers that women and young people already face due to poverty, informality, or conflict. Yet this outcome is not inevitable. The same technology can also be a powerful equalizer if we choose to govern it well.

I have seen this possibility firsthand. Through ILO programmes supported by development partners, women-led enterprises in Iloilo, Pampanga, and Siargao Island are using digital hubs, e-commerce platforms, and AI-enabled tools to grow their businesses, increase sales, and raise productivity.

Under our partnership with the Government of Japan, and now through the United Nations Joint Programme Digital PINAS. These women have shown something important: the real constraint is not talent, but access. Systems that fail to keep pace with change hold people back far more than technology ever could.

I am reminded of a young woman who once received an ILO-supported scholarship to study web development under a partnership with J.P. Morgan. With the right support, she built her skills, moved into robotic process automation, and today works as an automation developer in Europe. Her story is not exceptional — it is a clear example of what becomes possible when barriers are removed and pathways into STEM and digital careers are opened.

As a father to a daughter, these changes matter deeply to me. When a girl is given access to quality education, relevant skills, and decent work, she does not merely adapt to new technologies, she helps shape them. Yet for many girls in the Philippines, especially those growing up in poverty or conflict-affected areas, that future remains frustratingly out of reach.

This is why this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, with its focus on Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM and Finance, is so timely. The future of work shaped by AI will not be inclusive by default. Inclusion must be designed through policy, investment, and social dialogue.

The ILO’s research points to clear priorities: investing in AI and digital skills for women and youth; embedding STEM pathways early in education; supporting workers through transitions; and financing women-led innovation and enterprises. Women and young people should not be treated merely as workers adapting to AI, but as innovators shaping how it is used.

If we want AI to create decent work rather than deepen divides, we must act now. The message from the ILO’s new research is clear: AI can raise productivity and job quality, but only if no one is left behind.

The future of work is being built today. The real question is whether we build it with inclusion, dignity, and social justice at its core or allow old inequalities to be hard-wired into new technologies.

In an inter-agency meeting in Malacañang on Monday (February 2), Marcos told his Cabinet that the country’s 2026 ASEAN chairmanship must translate into concrete economic and social gains, particularly in employment generation, support for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and faster, more accessible digital government services.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President wants the chairship to spotlight “people-centered” priorities, with agencies aligning regional initiatives to domestic goals such as expanding livelihood opportunities and improving service delivery through technology.

The administration is also looking to use ASEAN mechanisms to support development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, particularly through the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), where cross-border trade and connectivity are seen as drivers of jobs and enterprise growth.

Economic and social cluster agencies — including trade, ICT, science, and social welfare officials — presented preparations not just for summit logistics but for policy tracks tied to digitalization, innovation, and MSME development.

The message from the Palace: the chairship should not be remembered only for meetings and motorcades, but for whether it helped make it easier to do business, find work, and access government services.

A founding member of ASEAN, the Philippines will host the 48th and 49th ASEAN Summits this year under President Marcos Jr.

Officials say coordination is underway to ensure both a smooth hosting and a policy agenda that links regional cooperation more directly to domestic economic priorities.

During her visit to PSE Headquarters in BGC on January 20, Secretary Roque met with PSE President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon to explore this opportunity.

She said that several companies have already expressed interest in listing, noting, “This is going to support them for their expansion.”

Such expansions, she added, would create new job opportunities and further strengthen their businesses.

PSE President Monzon welcomed the initiative, saying, “We are fully committed to partnering with DTI to educate potential medium and large enterprises about listing in the exchange under our Listing Engagement and Assistance Program (LEAP).”

The parties agreed to jointly work on a MOA to formalize the collaboration.

The report underscores clean fuels as a critical — and still underfunded — pillar of the global energy transition, with the potential to strengthen energy security, create jobs, and cut emissions in transport and industry.

Clean fuels, which include biofuels, hydrogen derivatives, and lower-carbon fossil fuels, currently account for just over 1% of global clean energy investment, despite liquid and gaseous fuels supplying 56% of global energy demand today.

Titled Fuelling the Future: How Business, Finance and Policy can Accelerate the Clean Fuels Market, the report was developed in collaboration with Bain & Company. It outlines policy, financing, and business measures needed to turn global ambitions into bankable, economically viable projects that can scale within existing energy systems.

A newly launched Digital Playbook accompanies the report, offering practical case studies and implementation examples to help governments and companies accelerate project development.

“Clean fuels represent an important pathway to advancing sustainability while continuing to supply the energy required by the global economic system,” said Roberto Bocca, Head of the Centre for Energy and Materials, World Economic Forum.

“Our new research shows that the clean fuels industry can build on existing infrastructure to deliver durable environmental benefits alongside economic value,” he added.

Momentum around clean fuels is growing, the report noted, citing initiatives such as the “Belém 4x” pledge, through which more than 25 countries committed at COP30 to quadruple clean fuel production and use by 2035.

However, the report stressed that achieving this ambition will require coordinated action across policy, finance, and industry to unlock a larger pipeline of viable projects that can deliver returns to investors and long-term value to national economies.

“Over the last few years, the question among business leaders in the industry has evolved from should we invest, to how and when,” said Cate Hight, partner in the Energy and Natural Resource practice at Bain & Company.

“We find that those who succeed generating value are rethinking how to approach projects focusing on customers, embracing flexibility and partnerships, and mitigating investment risk,” Hight added.

Despite rising interest, many clean fuel projects continue to face barriers, including high upfront costs, uncertain demand, fragmented value chains, and uneven policy environments across regions.

The report said overcoming these challenges will require predictable, performance-based policies, stronger public-private risk-sharing mechanisms, and closer collaboration across value chains to better align supply and demand.

The analysis draws on technical and economic modelling, expert consultations, and contributions from more than 30 organizations involved in the Forum’s Future of Clean Fuels initiative. Case studies span Latin America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, covering fuel types from biofuels and biogases to synthetic fuels and hydrogen derivatives.

The report forms part of the Forum’s broader efforts to scale clean energy solutions through initiatives such as the Future of Clean Fuels initiative, the First Movers Coalition, Airports of Tomorrow, and the Transitioning Industrial Clusters initiative.

The World Economic Forum’s 56th Annual Meeting, held January 19–23, 2026 in Davos-Klosters, convenes leaders from business, government, international organizations, civil society, and academia under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue. Click here to learn more.