Gokongwei, Uy lead awardees at ASEAN Business Awards

TOP FILIPINO businessmen, including John L. Gokongwei, Jr. and Dennis A. Uy, will be honored at the ASEAN Business Awards on Wednesday evening.

With the Philippines’ chairmanship of the regional bloc’s 50th year, the ASEAN-Business Advisory Council, led by current Chair Joey Concepcion, will unveil 47 ASEAN Business Awardees, the biggest batch ever. Three new categories, namely the Most Promising, Inclusive Business, and Legacy Awards, will also be introduced.

More than 900 guests with 400 delegates from Southeast Asia are expected to attend the awarding ceremony at Solaire Resort and Casino Manila, Entertainment City.

Mr. Gokongwei, founder of JG Summit Holdings, Inc., is one of eight recipients of the Legacy Award. The Legacy Award is given to an “iconic entrepreneur of each ASEAN Member State who sets the standard of excellence in doing business.”

Other Legacy awardees are United Overseas Bank Singapore Chairman Emeritus Wee Cho Yaw, Silverlake Axis Malaysia founder and Group Executive Chairman Goh Peng Ooi, Brunei’s Adinin Group of Companies managing director Haji Musa Bin Hj Adnin, Laos’ EDL Generation Public Company Chief Rattana Pathomvan, Thailand’s Srichiengmai Industry Co. Managing Director Sakchai Unchittikul, and Vietnam’s BRG Group Head Le Thu Thuy.

Davao-based businessman Dennis A. Uy, founder and chairman of Udenna Corp., is also set to receive the Young Entrepreneur Award.

Teodoro Ferrer, president of Erikagen, Inc. — the company behind Generika Drugstore, will also receive the Inclusive Business Award. Erikagen was acquired by AC Health, a subsidiary of Ayala Corp. in 2015. The Inclusive Business Award is given to the enterprise with “an exemplary business model geared towards serving or incorporating low-lying communities into their supply chain.”

Other Filipino businessmen who will receive awards are Lamoiyan Corp. CEO President Cecilio Pedro — SME Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility; Bernie H. Liu, chairman and CEO of Golden ABC, Inc. — Priority Integration Sector Excellence Award for Retail; Destileria Limtuaco & Co. President Olivia Limpe-Aw — Priority Integration Sector Excellence Award for Agri Food; and Nature’s Legacy Eximport President and CEO Peter Delantar — Priority Integration Sector Excellence Award for Wood-based.

Since 2007, there have been a total of 122 recipients of the ASEAN Business Award, with 37 awardees last year.