A TOP official of the East Asia Business Council (EABC) is urging Cebu business leaders to attend two international conferences in Manila next month to gain insights into regional economic shifts and business opportunities.
EABC chair Jay Yuvallos said he invited members of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philexport Cebu and other Cebu business groups to attend the 24th MAP International CEO Conference and EABC’s first Business and Investment Summit in September.
The invitation comes as the Philippine economy expanded by just 2.3 percent in the second quarter, its weakest quarterly growth since 2021, highlighting the challenges facing businesses amid continued global uncertainty.
Themed “In the Age of Flux: Next Inflection Points,” the MAP International CEO Conference will be held on Sept. 8, 2026, at Shangri-La The Fort. It will bring together business executives, policymakers and innovators to discuss developments shaping economies and companies.
The EABC Summit, on the other hand, will be held the following day, Sept. 9 at the same venue. Themed “Business in the RCEP Economy: Competing, Connecting and Scaling Across East Asia,” the summit will focus on opportunities arising from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), including ways businesses can expand across East Asia.
According to Yuvallos, the events are expected to provide Cebu business leaders access to regional and global speakers, as well as opportunities to establish business contacts.
He urged Cebu businesses to use the conferences to assess how they can adapt to changes in the regional economy.
Earlier, he said the Philippines has yet to fully capitalize on the RCEP, lagging behind regional peers as low awareness among small businesses and weak implementation continue to limit the country’s gains from the world’s largest free trade agreement.
Yuvallos said RCEP has the potential to unlock significant opportunities for businesses across East Asia.
The trade agreement brings together the 10 Asean member states with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand under a single framework that simplifies market access, harmonizes rules of origin, and strengthens investment and intellectual property protections.
Beyond exports, Yuvallos said Philippine businesses should view RCEP as an opportunity to participate in regional value chains by supplying components, services and intermediate goods to larger manufacturers.
“You don’t need to be an exporter to participate in the RCEP economy,” he said.
RCEP economies generate about 30 percent of global gross domestic product and account for more than a quarter of world exports, creating one of the world’s largest integrated trading blocs and expanding opportunities for businesses to tap regional markets and strengthen supply chains. / KOC