26 August 2025, Seoul – The Philippine Embassy in Seoul,  led by Chargé d’affaires, a.i. Edwin Gil Q. Mendoza, joined the Philippine delegation to the APEC 2025 Third Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM3) and Related Meetings from 26 July to 15 August 2025 in Incheon, Republic of Korea. Around 125 members of the Philippine delegation attended 123 working-group and ministerial level meetings, capacity building workshops and Public-Private Dialogues at SOM3.

At the SOM3 plenary, Philippine Senior Official and Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations Charles C. Jose highlighted the significance of the APEC fora in strengthening collaborative efforts to address both domestic and cross-border challenges, foster innovation among member-economies, and adapt to the rapidly evolving digital landscape.  

Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla also participated in high-level discussions on uplifting and expanding women’s participation in the economy amid demographic changes and digital transformation during the Second Meeting of the Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE II) and the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy (HLPDWE).

The Philippine Embassy also actively participated in two key APEC-related side events in Seoul this August, underscoring its commitment to advancing gender equality and inclusive growth. On 06 August 2025, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario attended the APEC Women and the Economy Forum Side Event: Policy Forum on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, hosted by the UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Centre based in Seoul with the support of the ROK Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) which gathered diplomats, policymakers, experts, and civil society leaders to address the urgent need for coordinated, evidence-based responses to online gender-based violence. On 13 August 2025, Third Secretary Olavario also joined the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) Signature Project Workshop on Addressing Labor Shortages Due to Low Birth Rates and Ageing Population in the APEC Region, co-hosted by Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) and the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) where discussions focused on demographic resilience, gender disparities in the labor market, and the importance of policies that support women’s employment, reproductive health, and sustainable growth across the region.

The APEC SOM3 meeting and its Related Meetings advances the APEC 2025 agenda forward—anchoring innovation in AI and demographic resilience, reinforcing economic and digital integration, and lays the groundwork for impactful outcomes ahead of the APEC Leaders’ Summit in Gyeongju. END