Seven Filipino tycoons who lead some of the country’s biggest conglomerates have joined the Board of Directors of the US-Philippines Society which aims to create a new and timely mechanism for elevating the Philippines’ profile in the United States.

The new Philippine Directors of the US-PHL Society are Sabin M. Aboitiz, Helen Yuchengco Dee, Lourdes Josephine Gotianun-Yap, Federico Lopez, Christopher T. Po, Lucio Tan III, and Manuel B. Villar Jr.

Membership inthe Society’s board is by invitation only with no fixed term.

The Society is a private sector initiative organized to broaden and expand interaction and understanding between the United States and the Philippines which would benefit the American public and the people of the Philippines.

Its mission is to build on the rich and longstanding historical ties between the two nations and help to bring that unique relationship fully into the 21st century at a junction when U.S. policy interests are increasingly focused on East Asia.

The US–Philippines Society convened in Manila, February 10 to 11, 2025 to assess key topics of importance to both countries. This meeting represents the first private sector-led forum on US–Philippines engagement since the electoral transition in Washington. 

Co-chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala hosted the 2025 board meeting program, while Co-chair Ambassador John D. Negroponte led the U.S. delegation.

Headquartered in Washington, the US–Philippines Society was launched 2012 with the mission of enhancing and strengthening relations and, simultaneously, raising awareness of today’s Philippines through programs on business, governance, culture, shared history, education, strategic issues, and conflict resolution. 

As an independent, non-partisan, bi-national organization, the US–Philippines Society plays an important role in fostering mutual understanding of the dynamics underpinning the longstanding US–Philippines relationship, and provides continuity in that relationship amid political change.