As Global Risks Mount, USABC and ASEAN-BAC Philippines Advance Supply Chain Resilience Agenda at ASEAN 2026 Roundtable on Supply Chain and Logistics
(Pasig City, Philippines) – The US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines (ASEAN-BAC Philippines) convened senior government officials, industry leaders, and regional experts on March 18, 2026, in Pasig City for the third session of the 2026 Philippine ASEAN Chairship Roundtable Discussion Series, focusing on Sustainable Supply Chains and Logistics.
The session addressed mounting pressures on ASEAN supply chains arising from geopolitical tensions, climate disruptions, and structural inefficiencies in trade and logistics systems. Participants emphasized that recent global shocks, including ongoing conflict in the Gulf, highlight the vulnerability of regional supply chains to external disruptions that can increase energy and transport costs, constrain trade flows, dampen tourism, and create uncertainty for businesses operating in the ASEAN region.
Discussions centered on how ASEAN can accelerate reforms in customs modernization, regulatory harmonization, strategic trade management, and sustainable logistics, priority areas critical to the region’s competitiveness and resilience.
USABC’s discussion paper outlined four priority initiatives aligned with relevant Philippine Priority Economic Deliverables, including:
- Strengthening strategic trade management systems across ASEAN
- Enhancing customs coordination and digitalization, including through the ASEAN Single Window
- Improving supply chain transparency and enforcement to combat illicit trade, and
- Advancing investment facilitation frameworks to support resilient and sustainable logistics.
Illicit trade emerged as a key concern, with participants noting that fragmented enforcement regimes and uneven regulatory capacity continue to enable the proliferation of counterfeit and smuggled goods.
Expert insights were provided by Steven Beck, Director of the Trade and Supply Chains Division at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Aladdin Rillo, Managing Director of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). Francis Mark Quimba, Senior Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, also presented an overview of USABC’s policy and program recommendations.
In response, the following government officials provided their insights based on their priorities and ongoing regulatory reforms: Hon. Mary Jean Pacheco, Undersecretary for the Supply Chain and Logistics Group of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); Hon. Rhenita Rodriguez, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Hon. Marissa Cabreros, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Hon. Raul Nagrampa, Director of the Technology Management Service at the Bureau of Customs (BOC); Hon. Alexandria Louise Cariño, Director of the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), Atty. Ferdinand Pauig, Chair of the ASEAN Single Window Legal and Regulatory Working Group, Bureau of Customs (BOC); and other senior government officials
The roundtable also welcomed ASEAN-BAC Council Member and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Chairman Emeritus George Barcelon, ASEAN-BAC Senior Adviser Gil Gonzales, and PCCI President Ferdinand Ferrer.
Key Takeaways and Policy Directions
Participants underscored several actionable priorities to strengthen ASEAN’s supply chain resilience:
- Provide transparent and predictable policy and regulatory guidance to reduce uncertainty for investors and operators
- Deepen public-private coordination, including at the regional level, to mitigate energy price volatility and supply chain disruptions
- Streamline customs, logistics, and regulatory approvals to improve efficiency and reduce trade frictions, and
- Avoid restrictive trade measures, including unnecessary cross-border bans, that can hinder the optimization of regional supply chains.
“ASEAN’s supply chains are being tested by a convergence of external shocks and structural constraints,” said Herminio “Third” Bagro, USABC’s Philippines Chief Representative. “Like the COVID-19 pandemic, current geopolitical tensions underscore how quickly disruptions can ripple across trade, energy, and logistics systems. As investors, employers, and taxpayers in ASEAN, our members are focused on practical solutions, greater policy transparency, stronger public-private coordination, more efficient customs systems, and keeping trade flows open, to help mitigate risks to growth, employment, and exports during the Philippines’ Chairship year.”
“Supply chain resilience and sustainability are central to ASEAN’s long-term competitiveness,” said Gil L. Gonzales, Senior Adviser, ASEAN-BAC Philippines. “This roundtable reflects our commitment to ensuring that private sector solutions are translated into concrete chairship deliverables that strengthen regional integration and economic stability.”
Building Momentum Toward ASEAN 2026
With three roundtables completed on Sustainability and Food Security, Healthcare, and now Sustainable Supply Chains and Logistics, the series continues with upcoming sessions focused on Digital Economy and Workforce Development and Artificial Intelligence.
Together, these dialogues are shaping a coherent private sector agenda designed to support the Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN Chairship and reinforce ASEAN’s competitiveness in an increasingly complex global economic environment.
