Philippines Company Stories: The Business Encyclopedia of an Archipelago Economy
Fifty-five in-depth company and system stories across eleven pillars — from Ayala’s two centuries and SM’s shoe store to Jollibee beating the global giant, a million outsourcing jobs, the remittance economy, ICTSI’s ports on six continents and the wallets that banked tens of millions. How Philippine capitalism actually works, told company by company.
Explore the Eleven Pillars
Each pillar maps one arena of Philippine business — five stories per pillar, cross-linked into a single architecture.
01 · Conglomerates & Family Groups
The holding companies that dominate the economy: Ayala since 1834, SM from a shoe store, JG Summit’s challenger method, Aboitiz and privatized power, and Metro Pacific’s exit from public markets.
02 · Banking & Finance
Where the money sits: BDO’s acquisition machine, BPI at 1851, Metrobank’s relationship lending, the remittance economy and a stock market caught in a liquidity loop.
03 · BPO & Outsourcing
A million jobs built on accent and bandwidth: how the industry started, the global providers who employ most of it, TaskUs and content moderation, moving up the value chain and the AI question.
04 · Retail, Property & Malls
Selling to a hundred million people: SM Prime’s placemaking loop, Ayala Land’s estates, Robinsons’ multi-format bet, Puregold’s trade members and the sari-sari store economy.
05 · Food & Consumer
What the country eats: Jollibee beating the global giant, Universal Robina’s price-point design, Monde Nissin’s expensive bet, Century Pacific’s dual cannery and the coconut problem.
06 · Telecoms & Media
Connecting an archipelago: PLDT’s century of rebuilding, Globe’s wallet, Converge’s pure-fibre challenge, the ABS-CBN franchise decision and why internet costs what it does.
07 · Energy, Power & Infrastructure
The most expensive electricity in Asia: Meralco’s misunderstood bill, geothermal baseload, why reform never lowered prices, the Manila water concession and the infrastructure execution gap.
08 · Mining, Agriculture & Resources
World-class geology, minimal output: nickel exported as ore, the moratorium and open-pit ban, Mindanao’s fruit plantations, rice tariffication and Del Monte’s leveraged detour.
09 · Shipping, Aviation & Logistics
Moving across seven thousand islands: Cebu Pacific creating a market, the flag carrier’s repeated restructurings, ICTSI running ports on six continents, inter-island freight and the seafarer economy.
10 · Founders & Dynasties
The people behind the companies: Henry Sy building through every crisis, John Gokongwei attacking incumbents, Tony Tan Caktiong’s taste decision, eight generations of Zobel de Ayalas and Manny Villar’s mass housing.
11 · Fintech, Startups & Global Trade
The digital economy: GCash banking the unbanked, Maya taking a bank licence, why venture capital keeps passing the market, electronics exports that earn little and the sixty-forty rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Philippines Company Stories hub?
A 55-story encyclopedia of Philippine business organized into eleven pillars — conglomerates, banking, outsourcing, retail and property, food, telecoms, energy, mining and agriculture, shipping, founders, and fintech and trade — each story a 2,000-plus-word analysis with strategy lessons, infographics and cross-links.
Who is this hub written for?
Founders, investors, students and operators who want to understand how an archipelago economy of a hundred million people actually works — the family holding structures, the remittance flows, the outsourcing industry, the infrastructure constraints and the ownership rules that shape every investment.
How is the hub updated?
Stories are reviewed as major corporate and policy events land — listings, acquisitions, regulatory decisions and infrastructure developments — and each pillar’s category page always lists the latest coverage. Start with any pillar above; every story links onward through the architecture.
