The Philippines: Charting The Growth Journey

Philippine-led initiatives set the framework for empowering youth, protecting the environment and shaping resilient societies worldwide.

International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), one of the world’s leading global port operators, sees its role as more than moving cargo—it is about building futures. With 33 terminals in 19 countries across six continents, ICTSI integrates social responsibility into its business model, aligning growth with the wellbeing of the communities it serves.

At the heart of this commitment is the ICTSI Foundation, the company’s social development arm. While its reach is global, the Philippines serves as the launchpad for many of ICTSI’s most impactful initiatives. Programs piloted locally shape community development efforts across ICTSI’s international network, where its advocacy for youth, education and sports, sustainability and resilience is mirrored and adapted to diverse host economies.

“Wherever we operate, we view ourselves as part of the local fabric,” says Filipina C. Laurena, ICTSI Foundation Executive Director. “It’s not just about building ports, but helping build futures.

ICTSI is also expanding corporate social responsibility across the group, with the Foundation providing guidance to local business units. This ensures programs—from scholarships to sustainability projects—are delivered consistently, while remaining sensitive to the needs of each host community.

Investing in Education

Education remains the Foundation’s cornerstone. By August 2025, 1,800 students had benefited from scholarships and literacy programs.

Through its partnership with the Don Bosco Technical Vocational Center in Manila, 645 trainees and interns received hands-on skills training this year, raising the total number of beneficiaries to 2,332 since 2021. The Foundation also supported 300 dependents of ICTSI partner personnel, including daycare teachers, eco-patrol volunteers and security staff .

Across ICTSI host communities, 499 classrooms and 41 daycare centers were modernized, benefiting 17,800 students and 720 teachers. A computer laboratory in Iloilo now serves 531 students and 31 teachers, while training centers in Davao and Tagoloan equipped 436 out-of-school youth and adult learners with technical skills in welding and computer systems servicing.

Sports and Wellness

Beyond classrooms, the Foundation invests in wellness and youth development. The ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships at New Clark City gathered 800 local athletes and 100 international delegates. Under the ICTSI Amateur Golf Program, junior golfers Mona, Lisa, and Vito Sarines excelled, with Lisa clinching the women’s title at the Philippine Amateur Open.

From March to May, mental wellness seminars in five cities supported students and teachers. In April, the iFIGHT campaign against child abuse and human trafficking expanded to Manila and Iloilo public high schools.

Sustainability and Relief

Through the Forests for Life initiative, which targets five million trees by 2028, the Foundation planted 12,500 mangrove seedlings in Lian, Batangas, with another 12,500 scheduled for San Luis in February 2026. In Balayan and Tuy, a three-year project restored 163 hectares, planted 45,000 trees and supported 223 farmers.

In Tondo, Manila, nutrition programs aided 2,592 children and 200 mothers, while relief efforts reached 3,500 families after Typhoon Crising, supported 876 households displaced by a fire in Aroma and helped 80 families in Isla Puting Bato.

Looking Ahead

By year-end, the Foundation will expand iFIGHT campaigns, launch medical missions, roll out mental health programs, upgrade libraries and stage outreach activities across ICTSI host communities nationwide.

“By investing in education, the environment and community, we build stronger societies,” Laurena says. “As ICTSI grows, expanding social programs alongside its terminals, we help create future-proof communities worldwide.”

www.ictsi.com

From Boracay and Cebu to Manila and Iloilo, Megaworld is transforming key destinations with a growing portfolio of homegrown hotel brands.

Megaworld, the Philippines’ largest hotel developer and operator, is expanding across key destinations to capture rising tourist arrivals and elevate the country’s standing as a world-class travel hub. Alongside broadening its port folio of international hotel brands, the company is pushing service standards to global levels in a bid to strengthen the Philippines’ competitiveness in Asian tourism.

At the center of this strategy is a landmark partnership between Megaworld Hotels & Resorts and Accor, one of the world’s largest hospitality groups with more than 5,600 properties across 110 countries. Accor—whose brands include Sofitel, Fairmont, Raffles, Pullman, Mövenpick, and Mercure—will bring its operational expertise, global service benchmarks, and ALL loyalty program to select Megaworld hotels. The collaboration begins with the rebranding of Belmont Hotel Mactan into Mercure Mactan Cebu, reopening later this year at The Mactan Newtown in Cebu, with further rebranding expected in the coming years.

Megaworld is also rolling out new tourism-driven projects. In Cebu, it is building the nearly one-hectare Mactan Expo Center, slated to open in 2025 and positioned to host major international events, including the ASEAN Summit in 2026. Rising nearby is the Mactan World Museum, an interactive space highlighting the Philippines–Spain cultural ties through artifacts and immersive exhibits—broadening the company’s tourism offerings beyond hotels.

Expanding Hospitality Footprint Across Key Markets

With 14 homegrown hotels and over 6,500 room keys, Megaworld has helped accommodate the growing influx of tourists across the Philippines. In Cebu, a major tourist hub in the central region, the company operates the 550- room Belmont Hotel Mactan and the 547-room Savoy Hotel Mactan inside The Mactan Newtown—just minutes from Mactan–Cebu International Airport and steps from its white-sand beach and two Gordon Ramsay restaurants: Street Burger by Gordon Ramsay and Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips.

In Boracay, recognized as one of the world’s best islands, Megaworld runs two major hotels within its Boracay Newcoast township: the 559- room Savoy Hotel Boracay and the 442-room Belmont Hotel Boracay. In Iloilo City, a key urban center in the same region, the company owns and operates the 149-room Richmonde Hotel Iloilo and the 326-room Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo.

In the nation’s capital, Manila, Megaworld’s hotels are positioned across major urban and tourism hubs. In Manila’s Entertainment City, it operates the 529-room Kingsford Hotel and the 1,530-room Grand Westside Hotel, currently the largest in the Philippines. A few kilometers away, in front of Ninoy Aquino International Airport and inside the Newport World Resorts complex, are the 684-room Savoy Hotel Manila and the 459-room Belmont Hotel Manila. The company also operates the 210-room Richmonde Hotel Ortigas in Ortigas CBD in Pasig City, and the Eastwood Richmonde Hotel in its Eastwood City township in Quezon City.

Just outside Manila, the 122-room Twin Lakes Hotel in Batangas province offers balconies with scenic countryside views and its own vineyards.

Reflecting its confidence in the country’s tourism potential, Megaworld plans to expand its hospitality portfolio to 9,000 room keys by 2030. The pipeline includes Chancellor Hotel Boracay, Belmont Hotel Iloilo, Kingsford Hotel Bacolod, Savoy Hotel Palawan, Paraguay Sands Palawan, ArcoVia Hotel in Pasig, Savoy Capital Town in San Fernando, Pampanga, and Hamptons Hotel Caliraya in Laguna. With 22 properties and about 9,000 rooms in total, Megaworld is positioned to solidify its standing as the Philippines’ largest hotel developer and operator.

megaworldhotels.com

The Philippine conglomerate remains committed to investing in high-growth sectors that create value for its stakeholders.

The Philippine economy expanded by 5.5% in the second quarter of 2025, reflecting resilient performance amid global headwinds. Growth has been supported by government spending and strong household consumption, with expectations of further momentum in the second half of the year as inflation eases and interest rates decline.

Fueled by this optimism, SM Investments Corporation (SM Investments), the parent company of the SM Group, remains committed to investing in inclusive and sustainable growth. “We remain confident in the growth trajectory of the country as we expand in areas where we feel the next growth drivers are. We make sure our investments help create value for our stakeholders,” says Frederic C. DyBuncio, President and CEO of SM Investments Corporation.

A key part of this commitment is renewable energy. The Philippine Geothermal Production Company (PGPC), a wholly owned unit of SM, supports national energy goals by delivering 300 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable baseload energy from its Tiwi and Mak-Ban steam fields.

Complementing this, Carmen Copper Corporation, a unit of Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp., pioneered the country’s first megawatt-scale floating solar facility in Toledo, Cebu. The installation generates 4.99 MW of renewable power, meeting about 10% of the copper mine’s energy needs.

Across its property arm, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., solar photovoltaic systems are installed in 48 malls, underscoring the group’s clean energy commitment. SM Retail has also embraced renewables; SM Store Cubao now sources 3.8% of its power from rooftop solar, while SM Retail’s headquarters in Pasay has been fully powered by renewable energy since November 2024.

In logistics, 2GO Group, Inc. has transitioned its Asinan and Elisco warehouses to renewable energy, with the latter deploying 42 electric forklifts that collectively cut 50 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.

These initiatives are backed by BDO Unibank, Inc., which has financed 63 renewable energy projects with a portfolio exceeding PHP1 trillion (US$17.5 billion), demonstrating how SM leverages finance to advance sustainability at scale.

Beyond energy, SM invests in people and their future. Through its Jobs Opportunities Building Skills (J.O.B.S.) program, SM has hosted more than 320 job fairs nationwide, connecting over 190,000 job seekers to opportunities and hiring more than 26,000 on the spot.

Education remains central to SM’s strategy. Its academic efforts that include Asia Pacific College, National University and SM Foundation’s scholarship program equip students with the skills, networks and confidence to thrive in a global workforce. To date, the group has granted more than 16,000 scholarships, including a record 1,000 in 2024.

SM has also renovated 415 health centers, built 2,850 schools and trained over 49,000 farmers nationwide, extending its impact in healthcare, education and food security.

Growing With Filipinos

Since its first store opened in Manila in 1958, SM’s journey has been closely tied to the country’s economic progress. From that humble beginning, SM has grown to 4,652 retail outlets and over 22,000 mall tenants nationwide.

In financial services, BDO Unibank and China Banking Corporation continue to expand their footprint with a combined 2,457 branches and nearly 7,000 ATMs, ensuring financial access across the archipelago.

In hospitality and logistics, SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. operates 10 hotels with over 2,600 rooms, while 2GO has expanded its fleet to 10 ROPAX vessels, enhancing regional connectivity, tourism and commuter trade, particularly in Visayas and Mindanao.

SM remains focused on addressing the needs and aspirations of its customers, investing in high-growth sectors, and expanding inclusive access where its scale can make the greatest impact.

“We define value as the ability to grow with purpose, delivering strong performance while helping the ecosystem and communities thrive,” DyBuncio says.

www.sminvestments.com

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