ABAC Philippines Receives the Chairmanship for the ABAC-ASEAN Caucus from ABAC Malaysia
February 08, 2026, Jakarta, Indonesia – The ABAC-ASEAN Caucus convened at the sidelines of the first meeting of ABAC 2026. The ABAC-ASEAN Caucus serves as a forum to align and forward ASEAN priorities and projects in ABAC and APEC, collaborate with like-minded non-ASEAN APEC economies on collective efforts, and channel important findings and recommendations to and between regional blocs.
Mirroring the handover of chairmanship for ASEAN 2026, the meeting featured the handover of the Caucus chairmanship from ABAC Malaysia (2025 Chair), represented by ABAC Member Dato’ Hazimah Zainuddin, to ABAC Philippines (2026 Chair), represented by Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN Evangeline T. Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq on behalf of ABAC Philippines. Both member economies shared earnest gratitude and continued dedication in enhancing collaboration and development among ASEAN economies and like-minded partners.
Building on ABAC Malaysia’s breakthroughs, ABAC Philippines Alternate Member Guillermo M. Luz charted a robust work program for 2026, highlighting the following key priorities:
- Enhancing trade and investment among ASEAN member economies
- Integrating and connecting economies
- Fostering inclusive and sustainable communities
- Transforming business for the digital future
These priorities draw member economies to the central theme for ASEAN 2026: “Navigating Our Future, Together,” echoing the necessity for multi-stakeholder partnerships for an inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous Southeast Asian region.
PR Ducrocq supported this vision, “this Caucus reflects the strong alignment in the work priorities and shared aspirations of ABAC and ASEAN, providing a space for us to build bridges, deepen coordination, and amplify ASEAN’s voice in shaping the Asia-Pacific’s economic agenda,” PR Ducrocq said.
Appreciating the role of the private sector, PR Ducrocq furthered, “the insights of the private sector are critical in advancing these priorities. Your experiences and perspectives help ensure that policies and proposals from government are practical, responsive, and grounded in real-world conditions. We, therefore, see this Caucus not only as a channel for conveying ASEAN’s priorities to the broader agenda of APEC and ABAC, but also as a platform for deeper collaboration between governments, businesses, and industry stakeholders.”
ABAC Malaysia, ABAC Thailand, and the Philippines, as well as ABAC Canada as an ASEAN partner, contributed to the discussions by expounding on digital innovation and inclusion; safe and environmentally responsible maritime trade; and disaster resilience in and for ASEAN. These presentations give importance to ASEAN as a key player in the development of the Asia-Pacific and its future.
The ABAC-ASEAN Caucus will reconvene in the succeeding ABAC meetings throughout 2026.
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APEC Member Economies: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; and Viet Nam.
ABAC was created by APEC Leaders in 1995 to be the primary voice of business in APEC. Each economy has three members who are appointed by their respective Leaders. They meet four times a year in preparation for the presentation of their recommendations to the Leaders in a dialogue that is a key event in the annual APEC Economic Leaders Meeting.
Under China’s leadership, ABAC is pursuing a work program under the theme “Openness, Connectivity, Synergy,” reaffirming the Asia-Pacific business community’s commitment to open markets, deeper regional integration, and collaborative innovation as foundations for sustainable economic growth.
ABAC 2026 Chair is Fanrong Li (China) and the Co-Chairs are Kyuho Lee (Korea) and Dr. Sy Hung Ho (Viet Nam), with four (4) working group and one (1) task force chairs, namely: Anna Curzon (New Zealand), Regional Economic Integration Working Group (REIWG); Julia Torreblanca (Peru), Sustainability Working Group (SWG); Jan De Silva (Canada), Digital and Innovation Working Group (DIWG); and Mitsuhiro Furusawa (Japan), Finance and Economic Task Force (FETF).
For further information, please contact ABAC Secretariat at secretariat@abac.ph via email.