The Go Negosyo Women’s Summit in Parañaque City issued a powerful directive this Saturday: Filipina entrepreneurs must stop operating from the sidelines and start commanding high-level leadership positions. With the Philippines chairing ASEAN this year, the message was clear—the nation is no longer just a participant in the regional economy; it is positioned to lead it.
The summit highlighted the increasing number of women-owned businesses, particularly in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector, and underscored the need to empower more women to lead.
As the Philippines chairs this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Nora Terrado, senior adviser for Women, Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Business Advisory Council, encouraged women to take more leadership positions that are crucial in nation-building. “We need to prove to the world that we are women leaders. The role of the Philippines during this chairship, especially for women, is to lead in Asean,” she said during the panel discussion.
Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque said women are not just participants in the economy but key drivers of it.
“Let’s not discount what a woman can do. Because for a woman, once you push them to the wall, or once you get into a crisis, all of a sudden, all these miracles happen. A lot of big businesses have been built from small businesses, and a lot of communities have been helped because of women-led businesses. And because it’s true, women are strong, smart and resourceful. We’re not just a part of the economy. We are the ones in charge of it,” said Roque.
While rising costs and global inflation pose significant threats, summit leaders reframed these challenges as massive opportunities for growth. Secretary Roque urged women to hunt for the strategic wins hidden within economic shifts, moving beyond survival toward scalability. Simultaneously, Nora Terrado of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council challenged Filipinas to leverage the country’s current chairship to set the gold standard for female leadership across Southeast Asia.
In 2025, Roque said women own about 66 percent of MSMEs in the country and account for 62 percent of new business registrations. She said these numbers show the courage, resilience and determination of women to uplift their communities
Roque urged women entrepreneurs that, amid the crisis where prices of goods are increasing, there are opportunities they can take advantage of to grow.
“In every crisis, not everyone loses; a lot of people also win in crisis, so let’s look for those opportunities,” she said.
Furthering this call to action, broadcast journalist and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Karen Davila reminded the summit that true leadership requires lifting the most vulnerable. She noted that poverty often bears a female face at the grassroots level and challenged established entrepreneurs to mentor others, ensuring that progress is inclusive. The event culminated in the 2026 Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneurs Awards, honoring women who have turned local ventures into major engines for job creation and community development. These awardees serve as living proof that when Filipinas lead, the entire national economy stabilizes.
During the event, Go Negosyo also awarded the 2026 Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneurs Awards to Filipina entrepreneurs for their contributions to economic development and job creation in their own communities.
With additional report: The Manila Times
