BIZ BUZZ: Global brainstorming club coming

For the first time in 10 years, the Trilateral Commission —an influential (and exclusive) nongovernment forum that invites only top leaders from North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific as members— is holding its regional meeting here in the Philippines.

Geopolitics is a favorite topic of this international think tank, which is coming to town at a very interesting time.

By the time the regional meeting happens here on Nov. 22 to Nov. 23, the United States would have already picked a new president, whose policy framework Asia-Pacific leaders would like to decipher.

Whether it’s a Trump 2.0 or a Harris regime, the task at hand is to identify and prepare for the headwinds and tailwinds.

READ: PH, US, Japan agree vs ‘economic coercion’

We would also expect the Trilateral Commission, which commits itself to the “rule of law, open economies and societies and democratic principles,” to thoroughly discuss China’s maritime posturing. That’s apart from the turmoil in the Middle East and Europe.

The Trilateral Commission’s principal member from the Philippines is former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo, who’s likewise part of the executive committee and is thus the main host of the meeting.

He has long been a part of the brainstorming group, which later on initiated the likes of retired banker and now Ayala Corp. CEO Cezar Consing and Amina Rasul-Bernardo, president of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy.

“It will be touched,” De Ocampo told Biz Buzz, when asked whether the West Philippine Sea tension is part of the agenda.

Overall, he said this upcoming forum in Manila “is one of the more interesting meetings because of everything that’s taking place.”

Top business leaders from the region, including the top honchos of Japanese beverage giant Suntory and Malaysian banking giant CIMB, are expected to attend.

Including the resource persons, it will be a relatively small forum of 50 people, each of whom is a business or civil society leader with a big sphere of influence. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla

More PH innovation hubs

After setting up the country’s first two innovation hubs in Singapore a few months ago, the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) investment arm has done it again with a third one opening in Hong Kong.

Undersecretary Antonilo Mauricio, the general manager of the National Development Co. (NDC), told Biz Buzz that one of the world’s leading global venture accelerators, Brinc, has allocated a space for what they call “iHubs.”

“The iHubs abroad provide an official government linkage to the innovation and startup ecosystem in the Philippines, not only for investment and tech transfer, but also for tapping our young tech-savvy workforce, our large consumer market and our extensive overseas Filipino network,” Mauricio said.

“The Philippine Innovation Hub offices in global financial capitals like Singapore and Hong Kong serve as a catalyst for global investment into the country,” he added.

The iHub in Singapore is set to open in the first quarter of 2025, Mauricio said further.

Last September, the NDC signed two separate memorandums of understanding with the Singapore Management University and the Murdoch University to host their iHubs.

The NDC official said that they will set up these iHubs next in Australia and Malaysia.

Cheers to more of these iHubs so the Philippines can have more unicorn startups. —Alden M. Monzon