Empowering farmers and micro-entrepreneurs to rise from poverty and serve as drivers of regional economic growth will be the focal point of the Philippines when it assumes the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year.

Speaking before a gathering of regional peers and dialogue partners on Wednesday, Aug. 13, ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC) Philippines Chairman Joey Concepcion tagged poverty as the “greatest challenge” for the 10-member bloc.

While poverty has long been an entrenched and insurmountable issue in the region, Concepcion said Manila’s hosting of the ASEAN Summit in 2026 aims to address at least one facet—fostering business growth.

“We know the biggest challenge here is poverty. And as you can see, the [ASEAN] Food Security Alliance (AFSA) is one of the programs that we must succeed in,” said Concepcion, founder of Go Negosyo.

AFSA, viewed as the country’s legacy project in next year’s summit, would harness the expertise of the private sector to help small farmers across the region.

“There are still a lot of farmers out there who need a mentor, who need access to capital, who need access to market. The big brothers here will provide that,” said Concepcion.

Further, he said this will spur the region’s “big brothers” or large corporations to act as mentors to uplift the lives of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“We want to focus on MSMEs because that is predominantly, in most of the ASEAN countries, the biggest challenge,” he added.

Former Agriculture Secretary William Dar, who serves as an adviser to AFSA, said the alliance will reinforce the regional approach to address food insecurity.

This effort to scale up food producers is seen to reduce the cost of production, ultimately driving down prices for consumers.

As host of the ASEAN Summit, Concepcion said the Philippines is intent on cultivating economic prosperity for those at the “bottom of the pyramid.”

He noted that having more wealthy MSMEs and farmers is beneficial to strengthen the country’s economy.

Complementing AFSA, the Philippines will also leverage the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN) in next year’s summit, providing broader support to MSMEs.

AMEN, first launched by the Philippines during its ASEAN chairmanship in 2017, seeks to strengthen mentor-to-mentor engagement while also paving access to money, markets, and mentorship.

“I'm very optimistic that in 2026, we will be prepared to really not only put on a show but to really show that when you collaborate with your big brothers in the different regions like ASEAN, the chances of success is much higher,” said Concepcion.