Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion is leading efforts to prepare the Philippines’s legacy programs for its 2026 chairmanship of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC), the body providing private sector feedback and guidance to boost ASEAN’s efforts towards economic integration, as well as identifies and recommends priority areas for ASEAN leaders. Concepcion is chairman of the ASEAN BAC Philippines.

For its 2026 chairmanship, ASEAN-BAC Philippines plans to make food security one of its legacy programs. It has already laid the groundwork via the ASEAN Food Security Alliance, with several agreements already sealed between the private sectors of select ASEAN member-states.

The Philippines has successfully implemented its legacy program from its 2017 chairmanship, the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN). It is modeled after Kapatid Mentor ME, Go Negosyo’s program with the Department of Trade and Industry. AMEN has since produced nearly 200 graduates from all the ASEAN member-states and created a network of more than 150 entrepreneurship mentors and coaches across the region.

“We are also looking at adding women empowerment to the agenda and establish the Philippines as a leader in the region’s efforts toward women’s advancement,” Concepcion said. He added that for the nearly 20 years that Go Negosyo has gone about its MSME advocacy, it has helped strengthen the case for women’s role in building the economy, particularly in their role as entrepreneurs.

Concepcion met with Philippine Commission on Women commissioner and Richwell founder Myrna Yao, along with officers of WomenBizPH, namely chairperson Rosemarie Rafael and president Rhoda Castro Caliwara, as well as Sarah Deloraya Mateo, Mylene Abiva, Imelda Ceniza Tiongson, and Atty. Lorna Kapunan.

The discussions included the possibility of the Philippines chairing the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) in 2026 to align with the Philippine chairmanship of the ASEAN-BAC in 2026. Also discussed are plans to enhance the role of the Philippines in promoting gender equality and women’s rights on a regional level, including establishing an Institute for Women Studies, which will position the nation as a center of excellence for women’s empowerment.

Another initiative is institutionalizing Gender Awareness Development (GAD) within government frameworks. Once established and supported by the public and private sectors, this initiative can be launched at the ASEAN summit in 2026. Efforts are also being directed towards establishing an ASEAN Women’s Business Council, which could be facilitated through WomenBizPH’s application under the economic pillar of ASEAN-BAC PH in 2026.

“Half of our MSMEs in the Philippines are run by women,” said Concepcion. “Uplifting women can have such a multiplier effect on society, by virtue of women’s traditional roles in the family and the community.”

“Our success with scaling up to a regional level Go Negosyo programs – such as when we scaled up our local programs – the KMME to become the region-wide AMEN, and more recently the Kapatid Angat Lahat sa Agri Program to the ASEAN Food Security Alliance – proves that it can be done,” said Concepcion.

“If we manage to scale up our efforts to help Filipina entrepreneurs, meaning, help them learn from the successful models of our ASEAN neighbors and bridge new markets for them, it would be a big step. With the pro-active stance of our women leaders, I think we can move forward the women agenda in the ASEAN, with the Philippines providing the vision, the structure, and the mechanism to make it happen,” said Concepcion.