Aside from being among the richest in the country, seven business leaders in the Philippines just got an additional task, and at a more global scale at that.
We’re talking about the newest Philippine directors of the US-Philippines Society, which is perhaps one of the most critical organizations in the two countries’ long-standing alliance.
On Tuesday, the binational organization welcomed some of the biggest names in Philippine corporate history: Sabin Aboitiz, Helen Yuchengco Dee, Josephine Gotianun-Yap, Federico Lopez, Christopher Po, Lucio Tan III and Manuel Villar Jr.
While already leading their respective multibillion-peso firms, these business leaders now have the additional task of helping enhance and strengthen relations between Manila and Washington.
The newest members of the US-Philippines Society, which is cochaired by Ayala Corp. chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, gathered in one place on Tuesday. This came after the US-Philippines Society’s 2025 board meeting, where they discussed possible synergies and areas of collaboration amid new leadership in Washington.
With a sectoral free-trade agreement looking to be in the works, these business leaders can probably expect an exciting time ahead.—Meg J. Adonis
PAL waving PH flag high in SEA
Southeast Asia’s first commercial airline was also among the region’s top travel brands last year.
Philippine Airlines (PAL), which was founded in 1941, was hailed as the No. 1 travel brand in the Philippines, with a best brand score of 63.15 percent, based on Campaign Asia-Pacific’s latest ranking.
The Lucio Tan-led flag carrier also came close to clinching the top spot in Southeast Asia, where it ranked second.
The carrier received high praise for its buying experience, customer service, and domestic brand awareness.
Airlines from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore joined the flag carrier in the top 10 list for 2024.
“We are happy and proud to be recognized as a top Southeast Asian travel brand, and we continue to explore more ways of further elevating the passenger experience all across our global network,” PAL vice president for marketing Alvin Miranda said.
Before this, PAL was also recognized as one of the most punctual airlines in the Asia-Pacific region for 2024, based on the tracking conducted by London-based analytics firm Cirium.
With PAL already launching new routes—and bringing back old ones, in the case of its Beijing flights—it seems it is already on track to claim the No. 1 spot in the region soon. Let’s see! —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad and Meg J. Adonis
Villar bats for Darigold
Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are certainly happy to know that the Darigold Milk that they knew well in the 1970s is now back in the Philippines.
Responsible for its comeback is the Villar Group, which forged a partnership with Seattle-based Darigold after coming together at the Food and Hotel Asia in Singapore last year.
That quickly turned into a partnership wherein Darigold agreed to a distribution agreement with AllDay Supermarket, a premium retail supermarket chain under the Villar Group.
Villar Group chair Manny Villar touted Darigold’s freshness—and flavors attuned to the Filipino taste—during the recent launch at Evia Lifestyle Center.
“We used to have Darigold during our childhood days. Now, they’re back, and I am very happy that somehow we are part of this … Let me just congratulate Darigold,” he said.
“Now, they’re back, and you still have a chance to find out why they were No. 1 before and why they will be No. 1 again,” Villar added. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Ernest Cu passes the baton
Outgoing Globe Telecom Inc. president and CEO Ernest Cu is leaving the company after 16 years of service in a good position with opportunities to even further grow.
“I’m really happy to conclude my tenure as a president and CEO of Globe on a very high note with fantastic results not only for Globe but across our portfolio companies,” Cu said in a recent virtual briefing.
Under his leadership, the company was able to focus on the growing mobile data segment, offering affordable prepaid internet services. Cu also played a key role in advancing financial inclusion in the country through GCash, which has become a popular e-wallet Filipinos use for local and overseas transactions.
And Cu has nothing but good words to say about his successor, Carl Raymond Cruz, who previously worked as the CEO and managing director of a leading mobile network operator in Nigeria.
“Carl is a very seasoned executive. I’m sure he’s exhibiting very good skills in taking over the business,” he said.
Cu said they were in the process of onboarding Cruz to the company, noting that the “transition is going quite well.”
“We’re very aligned with regards to company culture and values,” he said.
The Globe official said Cruz already made an introduction during the company’s recent town hall meeting. —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad