TWO SENIOR Philippine officials — Leo Tereso Magno, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), and Amenah “Mina” Pangandaman, Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) — will speak at the upcoming 2025 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit on Oct. 24, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur.
Magno is slated to participate in the afternoon plenary titled “A moment to lead: ASEAN 2026 and the Philippines,” where he will join Pangandaman and Frederic DyBuncio — CEO of SM Investments Corporation — to spotlight the Philippines’ role as incoming Chair of ASEAN in 2026.
Pangandaman also appears earlier in the event’s speaker list, underscoring the government’s interest in framing budget and development policy within the broader regional inclusive-growth agenda.
They will join an international line-up of luminaries including human-rights lawyer Amal Clooney, Temasek CEO Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, and Jon Huntsman Jr. of Mastercard, among others. Magno assumed the role of MinDA Chair in May 2024, bringing to the position extensive experience in public service and institutional leadership.
Under his leadership, MinDA has focused on inclusive growth and economic development for Mindanao, the Philippines’ southern island region. His speaking role at the ASEAN-wide summit underscores the Philippines’ intent to position Mindanao not only as a domestic development priority but as a strategic partner in Southeast Asia’s inclusive growth agenda.
The 2025 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit brings together “purpose-driven leaders on inclusive growth” and highlights themes like sustainable/resilient growth, public-private partnerships, digital transformation, and SME innovation.
For Magno and MinDA, this is an opportunity to showcase Mindanao’s potential within those frameworks — from infrastructure-led growth to integrated water-energy-food strategies.
For example, MinDA recently reaffirmed partnerships with UN agencies to deliver clean water, energy access, and resilience programs in Mindanao.
Alongside Magno, several prominent global figures will speak, lending heft to the summit’s ambition:
- Amal Clooney — human rights lawyer and co-founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice.
- Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara — Executive Director & CEO of Temasek (Singapore).
- Jon Huntsman Jr. — Vice Chairman and President of Strategic Growth at Mastercard.
- Their presence signals a strong push toward embedding inclusive growth in cross-sector collaboration and governance frameworks across ASEAN. By joining this summit, Magno elevates Mindanao’s development narrative onto an ASEAN-regional platform, enabling exposure to regional best practices, investment flows, and multi-stakeholder ecosystem building.
The summit also offers a venue to link local Philippine priorities — such as infrastructure, clean-energy, and SME-driven growth — with broader ASEAN integration and inclusive development frameworks. Magno’s speaking engagement may open doors for further international cooperation, potential funding or investment channels, and deeper integration of Mindanao’s development plans into regional strategies.
For stakeholders across the Philippines and ASEAN, this signals momentum toward aligning local growth agendas with a broader inclusive growth vision.
