John Gokongwei Jr. was the only legacy awardee from the Philippines at the 10th ASEAN Business Awards.

Tagged as the biggest and grandest ASEAN awards ceremony, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) hosted the awards last Wednesday, Sept. 6, at Solaire Resort and Casino. This was one of the highly anticipated activities of the yearlong ASEAN@50 celebration in the Philippines.

We welcomed over 900 guests composed of ASEAN economic ministers, government officials, delegates, members of the diplomatic corps and entrepreneurs. Four hundred of our guests flew in from different Asian countries to witness and celebrate this auspicious event of recognizing outstanding ASEAN entrepreneurs and enterprises that have become integral to the growth of the ASEAN economic community.

President Rodrigo Duterte was our guest of honor. He commended the ASEAN Business Advisory Council and the private sector for being “instrumental in realizing our common aspirations of the inclusive growth of our peoples in service and platform to provide valuable guidance and empowering our enterprising entrepreneurs to become the bedrock of a stronger regional economy.”

The ASEAN Business Awards recognized 47 awardees, including special recognition for the ASEAN economic ministers, ASEAN BAC Philippines founding members, and legacy entrepreneurs.