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January 30, 2026
Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. (PSE: FNI), one of the Philippines’ leading nickel ore exporters, has earned international recognition for its strong governance and corporate social responsibility practices after securing top honors at the prestigious In-House Community (IHC) Counsel of the Year Awards 2025. Out of a record-breaking 200 nominations across 11 jurisdictions submitted by leading corporations and legal teams in the region, FNI received the Best Practice Management Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. The company was also shortlisted in the highly competitive Industry Awards – Energy and Natural Resources category, underscoring its leadership in governance, sustainability, and legal excellence. The IHC Counsel of the Year Awards recognize excellence, leadership, and innovation in the in-house legal profession. FNI’s recognition in the Corporate Social Responsibility category affirms the company’s robust governance framework, values-driven culture, and sustained commitment to responsible mining, environmental stewardship, and community development—key pillars of its long-term business strategy and value creation agenda. The honors place FNI’s legal team among the most respected across Asia, the Middle East, and India. Further strengthening the company’s global profile, FNI’s Senior Vice President for Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Atty. Noel B. Lazaro, was named to the IHC Top Tier In-House Counsel List 2025, which recognizes the world’s most outstanding in-house legal and compliance leaders. The Top Tier In-House Counsel List celebrates professionals who exemplify innovation, dedication, operational excellence, corporate social responsibility, and a commitment to diversity. Atty. Lazaro’s inclusion reflects his strategic leadership in enhancing FNI’s legal, regulatory, and governance capabilities amid an increasingly complex operating environment. “In a workplace as nurturing and values-driven as FNI, the unwavering support and encouragement of our employees truly make all the difference. This recognition reflects not only individual effort, but the collective commitment of our entire organization to excellence, integrity, and responsible corporate governance,” Atty. Lazaro said. FNI’s international recognition reinforces its strategic focus on strong corporate governance, regulatory discipline, environmental protection, and social development. As global demand for responsibly sourced minerals continues to rise, the company remains well-positioned as a trusted mining partner and industry leader, guided by world-class leadership and a robust ESG-driven operating framework.
January 30, 2026
Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. (PSE: FNI), one of the Philippines’ leading nickel ore exporters, has earned international recognition for its strong governance and corporate social responsibility practices after securing top honors at the prestigious In-House Community (IHC) Counsel of the Year Awards 2025. Out of a record-breaking 200 nominations across 11 jurisdictions submitted by leading corporations and legal teams in the region, FNI received the Best Practice Management Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. The company was also shortlisted in the highly competitive Industry Awards – Energy and Natural Resources category, underscoring its leadership in governance, sustainability, and legal excellence. The IHC Counsel of the Year Awards recognize excellence, leadership, and innovation in the in-house legal profession. FNI’s recognition in the Corporate Social Responsibility category affirms the company’s robust governance framework, values-driven culture, and sustained commitment to responsible mining, environmental stewardship, and community development—key pillars of its long-term business strategy and value creation agenda. The honors place FNI’s legal team among the most respected across Asia, the Middle East, and India. Further strengthening the company’s global profile, FNI’s Senior Vice President for Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Atty. Noel B. Lazaro, was named to the IHC Top Tier In-House Counsel List 2025, which recognizes the world’s most outstanding in-house legal and compliance leaders. The Top Tier In-House Counsel List celebrates professionals who exemplify innovation, dedication, operational excellence, corporate social responsibility, and a commitment to diversity. Atty. Lazaro’s inclusion reflects his strategic leadership in enhancing FNI’s legal, regulatory, and governance capabilities amid an increasingly complex operating environment. “In a workplace as nurturing and values-driven as FNI, the unwavering support and encouragement of our employees truly make all the difference. This recognition reflects not only individual effort, but the collective commitment of our entire organization to excellence, integrity, and responsible corporate governance,” Atty. Lazaro said. FNI’s international recognition reinforces its strategic focus on strong corporate governance, regulatory discipline, environmental protection, and social development. As global demand for responsibly sourced minerals continues to rise, the company remains well-positioned as a trusted mining partner and industry leader, guided by world-class leadership and a robust ESG-driven operating framework.
January 09, 2026
​​​​​President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on January 8, 2026 led the inauguration of the PhP2.3-billion Camalaniugan Bridge, a project expected to boost economic activity in northern Cagayan. “I think this will serve as a model for many of the other bridge projects that we will be seeing around the country,” Marcos said during the ceremony. The 2.16-kilometer, two-lane bridge spans the Cagayan River, providing an alternative route to the Magapit Suspension Bridge, which was previously the only crossing in the area. The bridge is designed to support heavy vehicles and ensure smooth traffic flow while meeting current safety standards. Marcos noted that the bridge would significantly cut travel time for residents and travelers. “It is gratifying because the installation of this kind of bridge is a major development. Instead of taking a long detour to cross the river, the Camalaniugan Bridge is now here,” he said. The bridge features reinforced concrete piers, steel girders, and modern flood-control measures, designed to withstand the region’s seasonal typhoons and heavy rains. Its construction included access roads on both ends, linking Barangays Camalaniugan and Ballesteros. Marcos said the government accelerated the project to benefit the public and local communities. “I am sure this bridge will transform the economy on both sides. Many opportunities will open up for new jobs and businesses, and you will feel the economic effects very soon,” he added. He also congratulated the Department of Public Works and Highways for completing the project on time and on budget. With the bridge’s completion, travel time between Aparri and Ballesteros is expected to drop from one hour to just 20 minutes, benefiting about 6,000 daily commuters and travelers. Marcos said the project reflects the government’s commitment to infrastructure that directly benefits Filipinos.
December 18, 2025
As the Philippines moves toward smarter and more sustainable transport systems, one company is positioning itself at the heart of that transformation: Geotab, a global leader in connected transportation solutions. With the launch of Geotab Ace in Southeast Asia, the company introduces an AI-powered digital assistant that brings fleet management to a new level of intelligence and simplicity. By enabling users to access insights through natural language, Geotab Ace transforms complex telematics data into clear, actionable information for fleet operators, utilities, and government agencies. Founded in 2000, Geotab is a trusted provider of telematics and data-driven fleet management solutions, with more than 4 million connected vehicles worldwide. Its open platform and marketplace offer a broad range of applications that help organizations improve efficiency, safety, and sustainability. The company continues to pioneer innovations in AI and analytics to support smarter mobility ecosystems globally. To learn more about the company’s regional strategy and its vision for the Philippine market, Philippine Resources Journal (PRJ) sat down with Ezanne Soh, Senior Regional Manager, APAC at Geotab, who shared insights on expansion plans, customer empowerment, and the evolving role of AI in fleet management. Geotab Ace Launch and Regional Expansion PRJ: Following the Southeast Asia launch of Geotab Ace, how does Geotab plan to expand its presence and customer base in the Philippines? Ezanne Soh: The Philippines is a key market for Geotab’s regional growth. With Geotab Ace now available on the MyGeotab platform, we’re scaling through close collaboration with local partners that already support transport, logistics, and utilities fleets. Our goal is to make fleet intelligence available to every operator — from national agencies maintaining road assets to private logistics providers in various Philippine cities. By bringing intuitive AI into existing telematics systems, we help operators accelerate their digital transformation without adding complexity. Local Market Opportunities PRJ: What factors make the Philippines a strategic market for Geotab, and how does the company plan to address the specific challenges faced by local fleet operators? Ezanne Soh: Fleet operators here face some of the toughest operating conditions in the region — dense urban congestion, high fuel prices, and ageing vehicles. Geotab Ace helps turn these pain points into opportunities for improvement. For instance, a manager can instantly see which trucks lose the most hours to traffic or which delivery routes waste the most fuel. By transforming raw telematics data into clear, conversational insights, Ace enables faster decisions that improve uptime, safety, and cost control. Customer Adoption and Use Cases PRJ: How do you envision fleet operators in the Philippines using Geotab Ace to improve operations in areas such as fuel management, driver behavior, and safety monitoring? Ezanne Soh: Geotab Ace acts as a digital assistant for fleet managers. Users can simply ask, “Which vehicles used the most fuel this week?” or “Were there any driver safety alerts yesterday?” and get an instant, data-backed answer. This helps managers identify inefficiencies, improve driving habits, and make faster operational decisions without needing to build reports manually. Beyond simplifying data, Geotab Ace also applies predictive safety and maintenance analytics to enhance fleet performance. It can identify risky driving behavior before incidents occur and analyse vehicle health data to anticipate service needs, reducing downtime and improving reliability. By integrating trip data, zone activity, and exception events, Ace provides a holistic view of fleet health and performance, enabling operators to take proactive action on both driver safety and vehicle upkeep. PRJ: Are there any early adopters, pilot programs, or success stories from Philippine fleets that you can share? Ezanne Soh: We’re currently working with regional partners and local fleets exploring how Geotab Ace can be integrated into their operations, particularly in logistics, utilities, and infrastructure management. Globally, Geotab customers are already seeing measurable impact. We’ve seen reductions in idle time, improved safety compliance, and faster, data-driven decisions using Geotab Ace. A great example is our recent case study with Métrica Móvil in Mexico — one of Geotab’s long-standing partners, which integrated Geotab Ace directly into its IRIS Fleet™ management platform. The integration was completed rapidly, providing fleet managers with instant, conversational access to insights in both English and Spanish. It showcased how Geotab Ace can be seamlessly embedded into existing systems to deliver real-time, actionable intelligence. These results demonstrate the scalability of Geotab Ace and reinforce what’s possible as we bring the same technology and expertise to Southeast Asia and the Philippines. AI, Data, and Localization PRJ: Given the country’s traffic patterns and logistics infrastructure, how is Geotab Ace designed to interpret and simplify complex fleet data for Philippine users? Ezanne Soh: Local fleets face diverse and unpredictable conditions — from heavy stop-and-go traffic in Metro Manila to long provincial routes. Geotab Ace interprets this complexity in context. For example, it can distinguish between idling caused by traffic and idling due to driver behavior, giving managers a more accurate understanding of what’s really happening on the road. Unlike traditional dashboards, Geotab Ace delivers personalized insights based on each fleet’s unique configuration — from vehicle mix to operational zones — and even remembers previous interactions to provide more relevant answers over time. PRJ: How does Geotab ensure compliance with the Philippines’ Data Privacy Act and maintain customer trust when handling sensitive telematics data? Ezanne Soh: At Geotab, we understand that our customers’ data is essential to their business operations, which is why protecting it is one of our highest priorities. We embed privacy into every stage of product design and development through our Privacy by Design framework, ensuring responsible innovation and strong data governance from the ground up. Our approach to data protection is guided by clear principles. We collect only what’s necessary (data minimization), apply rigorous security and access controls, and adhere to data residency requirements by storing and processing information in the appropriate geographical regions. Whenever possible, we also de-identify or anonymize data to further safeguard personal and confidential information. In practice, this means Geotab complies fully with international standards such as GDPR. We maintain a comprehensive data governance framework, supported by dedicated legal, privacy, and compliance teams, as well as an Enterprise Data & AI Risk Committee that reviews all major AI-related initiatives. Every new innovation, including Geotab Ace, goes through rigorous security testing, ethics assessments, and Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs). Our goal is simple: to ensure that customers can trust us with their data. By making privacy and security integral to every part of our business, we deliver technology that is not only powerful but also responsible and transparent. Sustainability and Electric Mobility PRJ: With the Philippines gradually moving toward electric vehicle adoption and sustainability, how can Geotab Ace support local operators in transitioning to greener fleet operations? Ezanne Soh: The shift to electric vehicles is picking up across Southeast Asia, and the Philippines is part of that movement. Many fleets are starting small by electrifying specific routes or vehicle types, and data is essential to making those decisions confidently. Geotab supports this process through our EV Suitability Assessment (EVSA), which uses real-world telematics data from the world’s largest dataset on EV performance. It helps operators identify which vehicles are best suited for electrification based on factors such as route length, charging availability, weather conditions, and cost efficiency. Geotab Ace complements this by making sustainability insights easy to access through natural language. A fleet manager can ask, “How much could I reduce emissions if I replaced half my fleet with EVs?” or “Which vehicles are using the most fuel this month?” and get an instant, data-backed answer. By combining EV analytics with conversational AI, Ace helps operators track emissions, understand range performance, and plan their transition to cleaner transport within the same platform they already use to manage daily operations. Our goal is to make sustainability practical, helping fleets meet their environmental targets while improving efficiency and reducing costs. Collaboration and Ecosystem Building PRJ: Is Geotab exploring potential partnerships with local technology providers, government agencies, or logistics associations to strengthen its presence in the Philippines? Ezanne Soh: Collaboration is a core part of how we operate at Geotab. We’re always looking for opportunities to work with local partners — from technology providers and industry associations to government agencies — to advance shared goals around safety, sustainability, and digital transformation. As we expand in the Philippines, we’re exploring ways to strengthen this ecosystem and ensure our solutions complement national efforts to modernize transport and logistics. We believe collaboration will play a vital role in helping fleets of all sizes adopt new technologies responsibly and effectively. User Empowerment and Capability Building PRJ: Beyond data insights, how does Geotab plan to help Philippine fleet managers and drivers build digital literacy and maximize the use of AI-driven tools like Ace? Ezanne Soh: We’re investing in on-the-ground enablement such as training sessions, webinars, and partner workshops designed to help users build confidence with AI. Fleet managers quickly see how much time Ace saves by automating daily reporting or compliance checks. That experience builds trust in data and shifts decision-making from reactive to proactive. Future Outlook PRJ: Looking ahead, what are Geotab’s long-term goals for the Philippine market, and how do you see AI shaping the future of the country’s fleet and transport industry over the next five years? Ezanne Soh: Our long-term goal is to help make every Philippine fleet data-driven, safer, and more sustainable. Within the next five years, we expect AI to be embedded in every stage of fleet management — from predictive safety alerts to automated maintenance scheduling and sustainability reporting. By partnering with local stakeholders, Geotab aims to be the trusted data partner supporting this evolution of the nation’s transport ecosystem. Through Geotab Ace, the company is redefining how fleets in the Philippines harness the power of AI and telematics to drive efficiency, safety, and sustainability. By combining innovation with local collaboration, Geotab is helping pave the way for a more intelligent and connected transport future.
December 18, 2025
As the Philippines moves toward smarter and more sustainable transport systems, one company is positioning itself at the heart of that transformation: Geotab, a global leader in connected transportation solutions. With the launch of Geotab Ace in Southeast Asia, the company introduces an AI-powered digital assistant that brings fleet management to a new level of intelligence and simplicity. By enabling users to access insights through natural language, Geotab Ace transforms complex telematics data into clear, actionable information for fleet operators, utilities, and government agencies. Founded in 2000, Geotab is a trusted provider of telematics and data-driven fleet management solutions, with more than 4 million connected vehicles worldwide. Its open platform and marketplace offer a broad range of applications that help organizations improve efficiency, safety, and sustainability. The company continues to pioneer innovations in AI and analytics to support smarter mobility ecosystems globally. To learn more about the company’s regional strategy and its vision for the Philippine market, Philippine Resources Journal (PRJ) sat down with Ezanne Soh, Senior Regional Manager, APAC at Geotab, who shared insights on expansion plans, customer empowerment, and the evolving role of AI in fleet management. Geotab Ace Launch and Regional Expansion PRJ: Following the Southeast Asia launch of Geotab Ace, how does Geotab plan to expand its presence and customer base in the Philippines? Ezanne Soh: The Philippines is a key market for Geotab’s regional growth. With Geotab Ace now available on the MyGeotab platform, we’re scaling through close collaboration with local partners that already support transport, logistics, and utilities fleets. Our goal is to make fleet intelligence available to every operator — from national agencies maintaining road assets to private logistics providers in various Philippine cities. By bringing intuitive AI into existing telematics systems, we help operators accelerate their digital transformation without adding complexity. Local Market Opportunities PRJ: What factors make the Philippines a strategic market for Geotab, and how does the company plan to address the specific challenges faced by local fleet operators? Ezanne Soh: Fleet operators here face some of the toughest operating conditions in the region — dense urban congestion, high fuel prices, and ageing vehicles. Geotab Ace helps turn these pain points into opportunities for improvement. For instance, a manager can instantly see which trucks lose the most hours to traffic or which delivery routes waste the most fuel. By transforming raw telematics data into clear, conversational insights, Ace enables faster decisions that improve uptime, safety, and cost control. Customer Adoption and Use Cases PRJ: How do you envision fleet operators in the Philippines using Geotab Ace to improve operations in areas such as fuel management, driver behavior, and safety monitoring? Ezanne Soh: Geotab Ace acts as a digital assistant for fleet managers. Users can simply ask, “Which vehicles used the most fuel this week?” or “Were there any driver safety alerts yesterday?” and get an instant, data-backed answer. This helps managers identify inefficiencies, improve driving habits, and make faster operational decisions without needing to build reports manually. Beyond simplifying data, Geotab Ace also applies predictive safety and maintenance analytics to enhance fleet performance. It can identify risky driving behavior before incidents occur and analyse vehicle health data to anticipate service needs, reducing downtime and improving reliability. By integrating trip data, zone activity, and exception events, Ace provides a holistic view of fleet health and performance, enabling operators to take proactive action on both driver safety and vehicle upkeep. PRJ: Are there any early adopters, pilot programs, or success stories from Philippine fleets that you can share? Ezanne Soh: We’re currently working with regional partners and local fleets exploring how Geotab Ace can be integrated into their operations, particularly in logistics, utilities, and infrastructure management. Globally, Geotab customers are already seeing measurable impact. We’ve seen reductions in idle time, improved safety compliance, and faster, data-driven decisions using Geotab Ace. A great example is our recent case study with Métrica Móvil in Mexico — one of Geotab’s long-standing partners, which integrated Geotab Ace directly into its IRIS Fleet™ management platform. The integration was completed rapidly, providing fleet managers with instant, conversational access to insights in both English and Spanish. It showcased how Geotab Ace can be seamlessly embedded into existing systems to deliver real-time, actionable intelligence. These results demonstrate the scalability of Geotab Ace and reinforce what’s possible as we bring the same technology and expertise to Southeast Asia and the Philippines. AI, Data, and Localization PRJ: Given the country’s traffic patterns and logistics infrastructure, how is Geotab Ace designed to interpret and simplify complex fleet data for Philippine users? Ezanne Soh: Local fleets face diverse and unpredictable conditions — from heavy stop-and-go traffic in Metro Manila to long provincial routes. Geotab Ace interprets this complexity in context. For example, it can distinguish between idling caused by traffic and idling due to driver behavior, giving managers a more accurate understanding of what’s really happening on the road. Unlike traditional dashboards, Geotab Ace delivers personalized insights based on each fleet’s unique configuration — from vehicle mix to operational zones — and even remembers previous interactions to provide more relevant answers over time. PRJ: How does Geotab ensure compliance with the Philippines’ Data Privacy Act and maintain customer trust when handling sensitive telematics data? Ezanne Soh: At Geotab, we understand that our customers’ data is essential to their business operations, which is why protecting it is one of our highest priorities. We embed privacy into every stage of product design and development through our Privacy by Design framework, ensuring responsible innovation and strong data governance from the ground up. Our approach to data protection is guided by clear principles. We collect only what’s necessary (data minimization), apply rigorous security and access controls, and adhere to data residency requirements by storing and processing information in the appropriate geographical regions. Whenever possible, we also de-identify or anonymize data to further safeguard personal and confidential information. In practice, this means Geotab complies fully with international standards such as GDPR. We maintain a comprehensive data governance framework, supported by dedicated legal, privacy, and compliance teams, as well as an Enterprise Data & AI Risk Committee that reviews all major AI-related initiatives. Every new innovation, including Geotab Ace, goes through rigorous security testing, ethics assessments, and Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs). Our goal is simple: to ensure that customers can trust us with their data. By making privacy and security integral to every part of our business, we deliver technology that is not only powerful but also responsible and transparent. Sustainability and Electric Mobility PRJ: With the Philippines gradually moving toward electric vehicle adoption and sustainability, how can Geotab Ace support local operators in transitioning to greener fleet operations? Ezanne Soh: The shift to electric vehicles is picking up across Southeast Asia, and the Philippines is part of that movement. Many fleets are starting small by electrifying specific routes or vehicle types, and data is essential to making those decisions confidently. Geotab supports this process through our EV Suitability Assessment (EVSA), which uses real-world telematics data from the world’s largest dataset on EV performance. It helps operators identify which vehicles are best suited for electrification based on factors such as route length, charging availability, weather conditions, and cost efficiency. Geotab Ace complements this by making sustainability insights easy to access through natural language. A fleet manager can ask, “How much could I reduce emissions if I replaced half my fleet with EVs?” or “Which vehicles are using the most fuel this month?” and get an instant, data-backed answer. By combining EV analytics with conversational AI, Ace helps operators track emissions, understand range performance, and plan their transition to cleaner transport within the same platform they already use to manage daily operations. Our goal is to make sustainability practical, helping fleets meet their environmental targets while improving efficiency and reducing costs. Collaboration and Ecosystem Building PRJ: Is Geotab exploring potential partnerships with local technology providers, government agencies, or logistics associations to strengthen its presence in the Philippines? Ezanne Soh: Collaboration is a core part of how we operate at Geotab. We’re always looking for opportunities to work with local partners — from technology providers and industry associations to government agencies — to advance shared goals around safety, sustainability, and digital transformation. As we expand in the Philippines, we’re exploring ways to strengthen this ecosystem and ensure our solutions complement national efforts to modernize transport and logistics. We believe collaboration will play a vital role in helping fleets of all sizes adopt new technologies responsibly and effectively. User Empowerment and Capability Building PRJ: Beyond data insights, how does Geotab plan to help Philippine fleet managers and drivers build digital literacy and maximize the use of AI-driven tools like Ace? Ezanne Soh: We’re investing in on-the-ground enablement such as training sessions, webinars, and partner workshops designed to help users build confidence with AI. Fleet managers quickly see how much time Ace saves by automating daily reporting or compliance checks. That experience builds trust in data and shifts decision-making from reactive to proactive. Future Outlook PRJ: Looking ahead, what are Geotab’s long-term goals for the Philippine market, and how do you see AI shaping the future of the country’s fleet and transport industry over the next five years? Ezanne Soh: Our long-term goal is to help make every Philippine fleet data-driven, safer, and more sustainable. Within the next five years, we expect AI to be embedded in every stage of fleet management — from predictive safety alerts to automated maintenance scheduling and sustainability reporting. By partnering with local stakeholders, Geotab aims to be the trusted data partner supporting this evolution of the nation’s transport ecosystem. Through Geotab Ace, the company is redefining how fleets in the Philippines harness the power of AI and telematics to drive efficiency, safety, and sustainability. By combining innovation with local collaboration, Geotab is helping pave the way for a more intelligent and connected transport future.
January 28, 2026
By Noel B. Lazaro and Reeno E. Febrero There are moments in geopolitics when the choreography matters less than the quiet exchanges behind it. In late October in Busan, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping staged one of those scenes: a handshake, a photo-op, and a declaration that the rare-earths dispute was “settled.” In reality, the settlement was transactional. Washington agreed to ease a tranche of tariffs and reopen the door to large U.S. soybean shipments to China, while Beijing pledged a one-year pause on its threatened export restrictions on rare-earth minerals and magnets to the United States. Markets exhaled. Analysts sifted through tone and subtext. But the real story—the underlying logic of power at play—remained unchanged. The agreement did not reorder the world; it merely clarified the minerals that now anchor it. For a century, great-power politics pivoted on barrels of oil. Then, at the height of the digital boom, it seemed the future would be written in bytes. But the energy transition—and the militarization of supply chains—have rearranged the hierarchy. The building blocks of modern life are no longer fossil fuels or data streams but the atoms embedded in things: lithium in batteries, cobalt in electronics, neodymium in magnets, gallium in chips. The periodic table has become a map of twenty-first-century geopolitical anxiety. The world according to minerals Rare earth elements—17 metals with names that sound like they belong to speculative fiction—are geologically abundant but industrially elusive. They rarely occur in high concentrations, and separating them from ore requires complex, hazardous processing. This is why the world’s dependence on China is not an accident but the result of decades of strategic investment. Today, China mines about 70 percent of global rare earths, refines over 90 percent, and manufactures nearly all high-performance magnets, the essential cores of electric vehicles, wind turbines, and precision-guided weapons. In 2024, it exported 58,000 tonnes of magnets—a volume not just of trade but of leverage. Even when Beijing loosened export licenses earlier this year, it did so after demonstrating a simple lesson: it can constrict supply at will. Goldman Sachs estimates that diversifying refining capacity will require a decade of massive capital outlay, assuming geopolitical conditions remain stable—which they will not. The Busan announcement, then, was a strategic feint. A temporary pause is not a policy shift; it is a warning shot. Scholars call this “deterrence by demonstration”: wield the weapon once, then sheath it. The world will remember who holds the handle. The global scramble to escape gravity In Washington, the truce buys time for the Pentagon’s magnet stockpile and for chipmakers to secure alternative sources. In Brussels, it reinforces the urgency behind the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, which limits reliance on any single supplier to 65 percent. Canada has launched a Critical Minerals Alliance. Japan quietly expanded its Strategic Metals Reserve. The G7 is building buffers, offtake contracts, and recycling mandates. Yet progress is uneven. According to the International Energy Agency, global demand for critical minerals will triple by 2040; demand for rare earths used in EV motors could grow sevenfold. But outside China, refining capacity is thin, fragmented, and vulnerable to political risk. The United States may have copper, but it lacks separation plants. Australia excels at mining but not processing. Europe has technology but few deposits. “Security of supply,” once a term of art, has become the central preoccupation of ministries and militaries. A Philippine story hiding in plain sight The Philippines is rarely mentioned in rare-earths analyses—yet it should be. The archipelago sits atop one of the world’s richest mineral belts, including nickel, cobalt, and copper, the backbone metals of the energy transition. Geological surveys have also identified rare earth occurrences in Palawan and Nueva Vizcaya, comparable in concentration to deposits in China and the United States. In 2024, the country produced ₱94 billion in nickel despite global price softness. But the economic story is incomplete. The Philippines exports raw ore—low value, high volume. The higher-order value, the conversion of ore into materials and components, continues to accrue to other economies. Only two hydrometallurgical processing plants operate nationwide—Taganito and Coral Bay—with a third planned in Leyte. The result is a familiar trap: a resource-rich nation earning the smallest share of value. A sector meeting its inflection point In September 2025, a Philippine Mining Club luncheon on “green mining technologies” set the tone. There, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Sancho A. Mabborang underscored that under the Harmonized National R&D Agenda 2022–2028, DOST has earmarked about ₱300 million for a critical minerals R&D roadmap for 2026–2028, with the long-term goal of positioning the Philippines as a hub for critical minerals and green technology applications, especially for electric vehicles. A month after, at the Mining Philippines 2025 conference in Taguig, the conversation widened from laboratories to innovation. Speaking at a plenary session, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Carlos Primo David explained that new regulations and the auctioning of idle mineral assets aim to lift mining’s share of GDP from about 0.5 percent to roughly 2 percent and revive long-stalled tenements. By November 21, at the StratBase ADR Institute’s Pilipinas Conference in Makati, the agenda had become explicitly strategic. DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla announced that the agency is finalizing an executive order to establish a national framework for developing a critical minerals industry, stressing that “the goal is not simply to mine more, but to mine better, process smarter, and govern with integrity” so that the Philippines becomes a reliable contributor to the clean-energy transition. In substance, that framework rests on three pillars: responsible exploration and extraction aligned with modern ESG standards; downstream processing and circular value chains that reduce dependence on ore exports; and domestic manufacturing that links minerals to industries—batteries, electronics, renewable energy, and defense. Lotilla has also signaled that environmental safeguards will be modernized to keep pace with innovation, climate realities, and market demand, a quiet rebuke to past eras when rules were either weakened or ignored. Laws are evolving, but the challenge is coherence Legal reforms point in the right direction. The Philippine Mining Fiscal Regime secures a fairer return for the State, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act directs incentives toward value-added processing, and the amended Investors’ Lease Act lengthens leases for foreign investors to support more sustained investment. But these instruments need to hold together. Policy remains siloed. Agencies pull in different directions. The DENR cannot build a critical-minerals industry without synchronized work from the Departments of Trade, Science and Technology, Energy, Foreign Affairs, and, increasingly, Defense. The reality is stark: China’s advantage is not mineral abundance but metallurgical mastery. If the Philippines desires a place in the global value chain, it must build capacity not just to extract but to transform. ASEAN’s moment—and a door for the Philippines The geopolitics of minerals is shifting toward Southeast Asia. ASEAN produces nearly half the world’s nickel and over a third of its tin. Indonesia has used export bans to force domestic processing, with significant success. Vietnam is entering the magnet industry. Malaysia and Thailand house advanced electronics clusters. The region is becoming a manufacturing basin searching for secure inputs. The Philippines could be the bridge: a mining powerhouse on the supply side, linked geographically and economically to manufacturing hubs. The U.S.-led Minerals Security Partnership is looking for “second-source” jurisdictions—reliable alternatives to China. Regional manufacturers—from Japan to South Korea—seek diversified supply chains anchored in ESG compliance. Recognizing the fluidity of global supply chains, the StratBase ADR Institute observes that Manila could strengthen its position by securing a long-term commitment from Washington, ensuring relevance within the U.S.-led critical-minerals network. But they will only invest where institutions are predictable. Material power in a fragile age The deeper lesson of the Busan truce is that geopolitical rivalry is now embedded in the stuff of things. Nations that control the minerals and manufacturing of the energy transition will shape the century that follows. But the world also faces a paradox: the clean-energy future requires extracting more minerals, not fewer. Each electric vehicle needs six times more mineral input than a combustion car; each offshore wind turbine needs nine times more rare earths than its fossil-fuel equivalents. The green transition is, in this sense, a mining story. This raises a fundamental question for resource-rich democracies like the Philippines: will we remain exporters of the past or architects of the future? To choose the latter will require industrial policy, environmental credibility, social legitimacy, and geopolitical clarity—an alignment of institutions rarely attempted, let alone sustained. The rarest resource of all When Trump and Xi posed for cameras in Busan, it was easy to imagine a world on pause. But the clock did not stop. Demand for critical minerals continues to rise. Refining bottlenecks grow sharper. The energy transition accelerates, even as geopolitical tension thickens. Beneath our feet lie minerals that could define—not merely enrich—the country. They will not wait for us to decide. In a century shaped by materials more strategic than oil and more enduring than currency, foresight is the rarest resource of all. Noel B. Lazaro and Reeno E. Febrero serve with Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. They were recognized at the 2025 Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards as finalist for In-House Counsel of the Year and winner of Young In-House Counsel of the Year, respectively. They teach law and write opinion columns.
January 28, 2026
By Noel B. Lazaro and Reeno E. Febrero There are moments in geopolitics when the choreography matters less than the quiet exchanges behind it. In late October in Busan, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping staged one of those scenes: a handshake, a photo-op, and a declaration that the rare-earths dispute was “settled.” In reality, the settlement was transactional. Washington agreed to ease a tranche of tariffs and reopen the door to large U.S. soybean shipments to China, while Beijing pledged a one-year pause on its threatened export restrictions on rare-earth minerals and magnets to the United States. Markets exhaled. Analysts sifted through tone and subtext. But the real story—the underlying logic of power at play—remained unchanged. The agreement did not reorder the world; it merely clarified the minerals that now anchor it. For a century, great-power politics pivoted on barrels of oil. Then, at the height of the digital boom, it seemed the future would be written in bytes. But the energy transition—and the militarization of supply chains—have rearranged the hierarchy. The building blocks of modern life are no longer fossil fuels or data streams but the atoms embedded in things: lithium in batteries, cobalt in electronics, neodymium in magnets, gallium in chips. The periodic table has become a map of twenty-first-century geopolitical anxiety. The world according to minerals Rare earth elements—17 metals with names that sound like they belong to speculative fiction—are geologically abundant but industrially elusive. They rarely occur in high concentrations, and separating them from ore requires complex, hazardous processing. This is why the world’s dependence on China is not an accident but the result of decades of strategic investment. Today, China mines about 70 percent of global rare earths, refines over 90 percent, and manufactures nearly all high-performance magnets, the essential cores of electric vehicles, wind turbines, and precision-guided weapons. In 2024, it exported 58,000 tonnes of magnets—a volume not just of trade but of leverage. Even when Beijing loosened export licenses earlier this year, it did so after demonstrating a simple lesson: it can constrict supply at will. Goldman Sachs estimates that diversifying refining capacity will require a decade of massive capital outlay, assuming geopolitical conditions remain stable—which they will not. The Busan announcement, then, was a strategic feint. A temporary pause is not a policy shift; it is a warning shot. Scholars call this “deterrence by demonstration”: wield the weapon once, then sheath it. The world will remember who holds the handle. The global scramble to escape gravity In Washington, the truce buys time for the Pentagon’s magnet stockpile and for chipmakers to secure alternative sources. In Brussels, it reinforces the urgency behind the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, which limits reliance on any single supplier to 65 percent. Canada has launched a Critical Minerals Alliance. Japan quietly expanded its Strategic Metals Reserve. The G7 is building buffers, offtake contracts, and recycling mandates. Yet progress is uneven. According to the International Energy Agency, global demand for critical minerals will triple by 2040; demand for rare earths used in EV motors could grow sevenfold. But outside China, refining capacity is thin, fragmented, and vulnerable to political risk. The United States may have copper, but it lacks separation plants. Australia excels at mining but not processing. Europe has technology but few deposits. “Security of supply,” once a term of art, has become the central preoccupation of ministries and militaries. A Philippine story hiding in plain sight The Philippines is rarely mentioned in rare-earths analyses—yet it should be. The archipelago sits atop one of the world’s richest mineral belts, including nickel, cobalt, and copper, the backbone metals of the energy transition. Geological surveys have also identified rare earth occurrences in Palawan and Nueva Vizcaya, comparable in concentration to deposits in China and the United States. In 2024, the country produced ₱94 billion in nickel despite global price softness. But the economic story is incomplete. The Philippines exports raw ore—low value, high volume. The higher-order value, the conversion of ore into materials and components, continues to accrue to other economies. Only two hydrometallurgical processing plants operate nationwide—Taganito and Coral Bay—with a third planned in Leyte. The result is a familiar trap: a resource-rich nation earning the smallest share of value. A sector meeting its inflection point In September 2025, a Philippine Mining Club luncheon on “green mining technologies” set the tone. There, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Sancho A. Mabborang underscored that under the Harmonized National R&D Agenda 2022–2028, DOST has earmarked about ₱300 million for a critical minerals R&D roadmap for 2026–2028, with the long-term goal of positioning the Philippines as a hub for critical minerals and green technology applications, especially for electric vehicles. A month after, at the Mining Philippines 2025 conference in Taguig, the conversation widened from laboratories to innovation. Speaking at a plenary session, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Carlos Primo David explained that new regulations and the auctioning of idle mineral assets aim to lift mining’s share of GDP from about 0.5 percent to roughly 2 percent and revive long-stalled tenements. By November 21, at the StratBase ADR Institute’s Pilipinas Conference in Makati, the agenda had become explicitly strategic. DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla announced that the agency is finalizing an executive order to establish a national framework for developing a critical minerals industry, stressing that “the goal is not simply to mine more, but to mine better, process smarter, and govern with integrity” so that the Philippines becomes a reliable contributor to the clean-energy transition. In substance, that framework rests on three pillars: responsible exploration and extraction aligned with modern ESG standards; downstream processing and circular value chains that reduce dependence on ore exports; and domestic manufacturing that links minerals to industries—batteries, electronics, renewable energy, and defense. Lotilla has also signaled that environmental safeguards will be modernized to keep pace with innovation, climate realities, and market demand, a quiet rebuke to past eras when rules were either weakened or ignored. Laws are evolving, but the challenge is coherence Legal reforms point in the right direction. The Philippine Mining Fiscal Regime secures a fairer return for the State, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act directs incentives toward value-added processing, and the amended Investors’ Lease Act lengthens leases for foreign investors to support more sustained investment. But these instruments need to hold together. Policy remains siloed. Agencies pull in different directions. The DENR cannot build a critical-minerals industry without synchronized work from the Departments of Trade, Science and Technology, Energy, Foreign Affairs, and, increasingly, Defense. The reality is stark: China’s advantage is not mineral abundance but metallurgical mastery. If the Philippines desires a place in the global value chain, it must build capacity not just to extract but to transform. ASEAN’s moment—and a door for the Philippines The geopolitics of minerals is shifting toward Southeast Asia. ASEAN produces nearly half the world’s nickel and over a third of its tin. Indonesia has used export bans to force domestic processing, with significant success. Vietnam is entering the magnet industry. Malaysia and Thailand house advanced electronics clusters. The region is becoming a manufacturing basin searching for secure inputs. The Philippines could be the bridge: a mining powerhouse on the supply side, linked geographically and economically to manufacturing hubs. The U.S.-led Minerals Security Partnership is looking for “second-source” jurisdictions—reliable alternatives to China. Regional manufacturers—from Japan to South Korea—seek diversified supply chains anchored in ESG compliance. Recognizing the fluidity of global supply chains, the StratBase ADR Institute observes that Manila could strengthen its position by securing a long-term commitment from Washington, ensuring relevance within the U.S.-led critical-minerals network. But they will only invest where institutions are predictable. Material power in a fragile age The deeper lesson of the Busan truce is that geopolitical rivalry is now embedded in the stuff of things. Nations that control the minerals and manufacturing of the energy transition will shape the century that follows. But the world also faces a paradox: the clean-energy future requires extracting more minerals, not fewer. Each electric vehicle needs six times more mineral input than a combustion car; each offshore wind turbine needs nine times more rare earths than its fossil-fuel equivalents. The green transition is, in this sense, a mining story. This raises a fundamental question for resource-rich democracies like the Philippines: will we remain exporters of the past or architects of the future? To choose the latter will require industrial policy, environmental credibility, social legitimacy, and geopolitical clarity—an alignment of institutions rarely attempted, let alone sustained. The rarest resource of all When Trump and Xi posed for cameras in Busan, it was easy to imagine a world on pause. But the clock did not stop. Demand for critical minerals continues to rise. Refining bottlenecks grow sharper. The energy transition accelerates, even as geopolitical tension thickens. Beneath our feet lie minerals that could define—not merely enrich—the country. They will not wait for us to decide. In a century shaped by materials more strategic than oil and more enduring than currency, foresight is the rarest resource of all. Noel B. Lazaro and Reeno E. Febrero serve with Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. They were recognized at the 2025 Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards as finalist for In-House Counsel of the Year and winner of Young In-House Counsel of the Year, respectively. They teach law and write opinion columns.
December 18, 2025
The mining and quarrying industry exposes machinery and equipment to some of the most destructive forces, including abrasion, corrosion, wear, impact, and chemical attack. Belzona’s high-performance and innovative solutions are engineered for the repair and protection of assets across multiple industries. These solutions have a proven record of minimizing downtime and reducing maintenance costs. Rapid-Curing Elastomers for Rubber Repair Rubber components, such as those on conveyor belts and off-road tires, are vulnerable to tearing, ripping, and splitting due to abrasive materials in mining operations. While rubber is durable, flexible, and absorbs vibration, sharp materials can still penetrate it, causing tears and splits. Belzona’s cold-cure polyurethane materials provide a reliable solution for in-situ rubber repair without the need for hot work. The rapid cure times of these elastomers make them ideal for emergency repairs. Chemical-Resistant Systems for Rebuilding and Coating Mineral processing involves aggressive chemicals such as flocculants and coagulants, which accelerate corrosion and the deterioration of concrete and steel structures. Belzona’s 4000 Series epoxy repair composites and chemical-resistant coatings protect mining assets against acids and alkalis, even at elevated temperatures. High-Performance Coatings for Pump Efficiency Pumps are subjected to constant wear from slurries and subsoil water in mining operations. Traditional welding can introduce heat stress and galvanic corrosion risks to pump components. Belzona’s cold-curing coating systems provide a safer, faster alternative. Belzona 1341 (Supermetalglide) uses advanced hydrophobic technology to repel process fluids and reduce turbulence, improving pump efficiency by up to 7% on new equipment and up to 20% on refurbished units. Resistance to Severe Abrasion and Wear Mining and quarrying equipment, such as chutes and hoppers, suffer abrasion and wear from excavated materials of varying sizes, resulting in cracks, holes, and wall thickness loss. Belzona’s ceramic-filled composites, combined with Belzona 9811 Alumina tile sheets, create a hard-wearing lining that significantly increases service life. These cold-applied linings require no specialist tools, making them safe and easy to install, even in confined spaces. Composite Materials for Metal Part Restoration Belzona 1000 Series paste-grade materials are designed for rebuilding damaged surfaces on metallic substrates, even in wet or immersed conditions. Belzona coating-grade systems protect assets against corrosive media and environmental attack, extending the operational life of critical equipment. Global Company, Local Service Belzona has a network of over 160 distributors in more than 120 countries, supported by five corporate offices covering all time zones. As the authorised distributor of Belzona in the Philippines, Wise Industrial Systems, Inc. provides industrial maintenance solutions in line with Belzona’s strategy to expand its global presence by offering ‘Product Plus’ services across the region. With the ‘Product Plus’ approach, customers benefit from tailored product specifications, onsite training, ongoing technical support, and aftercare services.
January 24, 2026
Mining Asia (https://www.miningasiaconvention.com), Southeast Asia’s largest and longest-standing mining conference and exhibition, showcasing the region’s dynamic mining sector to an international audience of investors, industry leaders, and key mining stakeholders, is returning to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from June 23–24, 2026. For the 2026 edition, Mining Asia is expanding its focus to include clean energy technologies, batteries, EVs, and renewable energy within its conference themes. This evolution reflects the industry’s shift toward sustainable mining practices and the integration of green technologies across mining operations. Clean Energy, Batteries, and Renewables at Mining Asia The current energy transition toward a clean energy future—powered by renewable energy and electric vehicles—is one of the defining conversations of our time. For Southeast Asia, this transition carries particular urgency, as the region faces escalating impacts of climate change, including record-breaking heat waves, severe droughts, and rising sea levels. Mining Asia has long been at the forefront of championing the Southeast Asian and wider Asian mining sector, recognizing mining’s vital role as a key economic driver for the region. As the world pivots away from coal and accelerates the shift toward clean energy, critical minerals such as nickel, lithium, and rare earths have become essential to reducing dependence on fossil fuels. With Asia-Pacific countries such as Indonesia, China, and Australia emerging as major critical minerals producers, Singapore’s strategic location and reputation as a global finance hub position it as the ideal gateway for fostering investment and dialogue on clean energy, batteries, and renewables. Mining Asia therefore serves as a premier platform to help shape the region’s sustainable energy future. Attendee Profile More than 70 percent of attendees at Mining Asia come from Asia and the Middle East, while Australia, Europe, and the Americas make up the remaining 30 percent. This strong regional presence makes Mining Asia an ideal platform for international mining and energy companies seeking to connect with Asia-based investors and showcase their projects to a highly targeted audience. The investor base includes banks, institutional and private investors, all seeking new opportunities in the mining, energy, and clean technology sectors. This qualified investor pool continues to grow annually, underscoring Mining Asia’s proven ability to attract new investors to the event. Daniel Radziszewski, managing director of Spire Events—organizers of Mining Asia since 2015—said, “Over the past 11 years, the high quality of speakers assembled at this event has provided insightful regional and international perspectives, leading to Mining Asia being recognized as the leading event in the region for global companies and individuals who wish to understand what makes the Southeast Asian mining industry tick.” He added, “Regular attendees at Mining Asia over the past decade have given feedback that they appreciate the diversity of conference topics, speakers, and exhibitors, as it provides valuable opportunities to learn about the latest industry developments and establish new business contacts.” Spaces are available for sponsors, exhibitors, and delegates who wish to be part of Mining Asia 2026. Enquiries can be sent to Daniel via email at daniel.radz@spire-events.com. More information is available at https://www.miningasiaconvention.com. Background on Spire Events Spire Events is a Singapore-based events company specializing in mining and energy conferences and expos. Mining Asia is part of the global Critical Minerals, Mining & Clean Energy Conference Series, which spans locations across Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Australia. Spire Events also organizes the MiningTech Conference Series, which focuses on mining technology and is held in Brazil and Canada. In addition, Spire Events organizes large-scale mining and energy expos in Africa, including events in Mauritania and Botswana. The full calendar of events can be found at www.spire-events.com.
January 24, 2026
Mining Asia (https://www.miningasiaconvention.com), Southeast Asia’s largest and longest-standing mining conference and exhibition, showcasing the region’s dynamic mining sector to an international audience of investors, industry leaders, and key mining stakeholders, is returning to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from June 23–24, 2026. For the 2026 edition, Mining Asia is expanding its focus to include clean energy technologies, batteries, EVs, and renewable energy within its conference themes. This evolution reflects the industry’s shift toward sustainable mining practices and the integration of green technologies across mining operations. Clean Energy, Batteries, and Renewables at Mining Asia The current energy transition toward a clean energy future—powered by renewable energy and electric vehicles—is one of the defining conversations of our time. For Southeast Asia, this transition carries particular urgency, as the region faces escalating impacts of climate change, including record-breaking heat waves, severe droughts, and rising sea levels. Mining Asia has long been at the forefront of championing the Southeast Asian and wider Asian mining sector, recognizing mining’s vital role as a key economic driver for the region. As the world pivots away from coal and accelerates the shift toward clean energy, critical minerals such as nickel, lithium, and rare earths have become essential to reducing dependence on fossil fuels. With Asia-Pacific countries such as Indonesia, China, and Australia emerging as major critical minerals producers, Singapore’s strategic location and reputation as a global finance hub position it as the ideal gateway for fostering investment and dialogue on clean energy, batteries, and renewables. Mining Asia therefore serves as a premier platform to help shape the region’s sustainable energy future. Attendee Profile More than 70 percent of attendees at Mining Asia come from Asia and the Middle East, while Australia, Europe, and the Americas make up the remaining 30 percent. This strong regional presence makes Mining Asia an ideal platform for international mining and energy companies seeking to connect with Asia-based investors and showcase their projects to a highly targeted audience. The investor base includes banks, institutional and private investors, all seeking new opportunities in the mining, energy, and clean technology sectors. This qualified investor pool continues to grow annually, underscoring Mining Asia’s proven ability to attract new investors to the event. Daniel Radziszewski, managing director of Spire Events—organizers of Mining Asia since 2015—said, “Over the past 11 years, the high quality of speakers assembled at this event has provided insightful regional and international perspectives, leading to Mining Asia being recognized as the leading event in the region for global companies and individuals who wish to understand what makes the Southeast Asian mining industry tick.” He added, “Regular attendees at Mining Asia over the past decade have given feedback that they appreciate the diversity of conference topics, speakers, and exhibitors, as it provides valuable opportunities to learn about the latest industry developments and establish new business contacts.” Spaces are available for sponsors, exhibitors, and delegates who wish to be part of Mining Asia 2026. Enquiries can be sent to Daniel via email at daniel.radz@spire-events.com. More information is available at https://www.miningasiaconvention.com. Background on Spire Events Spire Events is a Singapore-based events company specializing in mining and energy conferences and expos. Mining Asia is part of the global Critical Minerals, Mining & Clean Energy Conference Series, which spans locations across Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Australia. Spire Events also organizes the MiningTech Conference Series, which focuses on mining technology and is held in Brazil and Canada. In addition, Spire Events organizes large-scale mining and energy expos in Africa, including events in Mauritania and Botswana. The full calendar of events can be found at www.spire-events.com.

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