Now in its 12th year, the Philippine Financial and Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP) held its annual Pride Summit, “Rising Tide,” on June 4, 2025, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. As in previous iterations, this summit was the PFIP’s way of ushering in Pride Month productively—one that hopefully will advance the cause of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the PFIP’s member companies and encourage new “recruits” to join the cause.

If typical LGBTQIA+ movements are characterized by activism in the streets and rallies seeking positive action, the PFIP is looking for activists in the boardroom—those who can work quietly, yet hopefully create the desired ripple effect that substantively advances the movement. It’s about assisting companies in institutionalizing policies around sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics, as summed up in its SOGIESC training.

The aim is to consolidate proven best practices of LGBTQ+ communities in the workplace and to evolve programs and practices. Presently, there are more than 80 member organizations, and there is now an all-Filipino Board of Trustees. They started with five members back in 2013. It’s a highly charged time for DEI right now, as the Trump administration basically deprioritized DEI and put a stop to all the advances that had been made over the last four years. Multinationals here in the Philippines, who were ready to move the agenda forward, are now taking a more timid, measured approach. Photos here are from the networking dinner that followed the summit.