The Great Circular Leap: Inside the Forum Redefining Asia’s Industrial DNA

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

In the heart of Taipei’s Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, a historic convergence recently took place that may well be remembered as the moment the Asia-Pacific region finally began to break its addiction to the linear "take-make-waste" economy.

The 2025 Asia Pacific Circular Economy Roundtable & Hotspot (APCER & Hotspot) was more than a conference; it was a high-stakes laboratory for a planet in crisis. For four days, over 500 leaders from 50 countries gathered to witness a bold proclamation: "Taiwan Can Lead".

The Circular Trilogy: A Blueprint for Survival

The atmosphere was charged with a sense of urgent mission, framed by a revolutionary philosophy known as the Circular Trilogy.

Good Ideas: The spark of innovation.

Good Governance: The bridge of policy and institutional design.

Good Business: The ultimate goal—scalable, profitable industrial practices that integrate circularity into the mainstream economy.

"The circular economy is not merely an environmental concept," declared Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming, "but a scalable industrial practice capable of generating significant economic value". This wasn't just rhetoric. Taiwan unveiled its first-ever draft of the "2050 Taiwan Circular Economy Roadmap," a living document that invited immediate, radical transparency by collecting nearly 400 concrete recommendations from global participants on-site.

Turning Waste into Gold: The Industry Frontiers

The most compelling drama of the forum unfolded in the stories of material transformation. Across six curated industry routes, participants saw the impossible becoming routine:

The Pineapple Revolution: In the agriculture sector, residues once burned or buried are being reborn. Pineapple leaf fibers are being woven into high-end textiles, while peels are converted into animal feed, and oyster shells are repurposed as cat litter.

Urban Mining: In the electronics and high-tech sectors, leaders from Apple, Dell, and Acer shared how "urban resource mines" are replacing traditional extraction. Taiwan's ITRI showcased solar panels designed for low-temperature disassembly, allowing for 99% purity recovery of glass and silicon.

Architecture that Breathes: The forum itself was a living exhibit. Attendees sat on modular circular chairs and walked through spaces designed for precision deconstruction, proving that buildings can be "material banks" rather than future landfills.

A Gateway for the World

Freek van Eijk, CEO of Holland Circular Hotspot, put the global significance into perspective: "In Asia, Taiwan is the reference and Taiwan is also the gateway to Asia".

This gateway was thrown wide open during the forum. Representatives from Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea engaged in "The Circular Trilogy" plenary dialogues, debating everything from Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to the geopolitical risks of critical metals.

The Voice of the Next Generation

Perhaps the most poignant moment occurred during the opening ceremony, when the stage was handed over to primary and high school students. They didn't offer platitudes; they demanded answers from senior officials about "resources, waste, and their own future".

Every participant entered the venue holding a handwritten message from a child—a physical reminder that the policies discussed inside those walls were not just about balance sheets, but about the inheritance of the next generation.

Beyond the Summit

As the 2025 APCER & Hotspot concluded with a "Farewell Party" featuring dishes made from surplus and seasonal local ingredients, the message was clear: this was the beginning of an era, not the end of a meeting.

Taiwan has positioned itself as the strategic connector linking Asian and global circular ecosystems. By integrating policy roadmaps with real-world industrial innovation, the forum demonstrated that the path to a net-zero future is no longer a dream—it is a "Good Business" reality being built right now in the Asia-Pacific. 

DepEd advances voucher reforms, strengthens classroom observation system

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DAVAO DE ORO, 05 March 2026 — Education Secretary Sonny Angara pushed forward key reforms, engaging private school partners to improve the voucher program implementation and directing the Department’s Management Committee to enhance the classroom observation system under the Teacher Growth and Performance framework.



These initiatives aim to ensure smoother voucher delivery for learners while strengthening instructional support systems for teachers across schools.



"Sa ngayon, nakatutok tayo sa pagpapabuti at pagpapalawig ng implementasyon ng ating voucher programs sa bansa. And it begins with meaningful conversations with our leaders in private education institutions to ensure that our priorities are aligned in implementing the program," Secretary Angara said.

Led by Secretary Angara, the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) convened for the 351st time, where the committee and private education leaders discussed how the two sectors can work together to ensure that the implementation of the Senior High School Voucher Program remains corruption-free.



DepEd also noted that the new guidelines for the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) will prioritize learners from middle-income and low-income households.



The meeting was also attended by Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) President Fr. Karel S. San Juan, SJ; PEAC Regional Secretariat XI Regional Program Director Sr. Ma. Marissa R. Viri, RVM; school heads of GASTPE-participating schools in Davao; and other officers and trustees of regional associations.



Secretary Angara also convened DepEd’s National Management Committee members to discuss how the agency can further improve classroom teaching observations while avoiding unnecessary stress among public school teachers.



In response to this concern, the Department is currently working on a policy that focuses on teachers' growth and performance. The framework highlights four key components—Learner Evidence, Professional Artifacts, Collaboration and Professional Engagement, and a Single Classroom Observation—each weighted at 25%, ensuring that no single measure disproportionately determines a teacher’s performance rating.



Furthermore, the proposed policy seeks to promote teachers' professional growth, ensure fairness, manage workload effectively, and ultimately improve learning outcomes.

"Muli, patuloy tayong magsusulong ng mga polisiya at programa para sa ikabubuti ng ating mga kaguruan. President Bongbong Marcos has emphasized time and again the need to protect the welfare of our teachers—and we remain steadfast in carrying out this directive," Secretary Angara said.

San Miguel opens museum at oldest brewery to honor 135 years of enduring legacy

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A museum dedicated to one of the Philippines’ most iconic and enduring brands, highlighting over 135 years of history and brewing tradition, and paying tribute to generations of employees, has opened at the country’s oldest surviving brewery in Polo, Valenzuela City.



San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President and COO John Paul L. Ang and San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMBI) President and COO Carlos Antonio M. Berba recently led the opening of the company’s Polo Brewery Museum — marking the completion of a decades-long effort to gather and preserve archival records, historical objects and artifacts, and oral histories tracing San Miguel’s history as a beer brewer founded in 1890 — before it became a diversified conglomerate operating in multiple industries, today.



The museum, housed in the original building of the Polo brewery, features a wide collection of displays, including once-state-of-the-art brewing equipment, facsimiles of historical documents, classic labels and advertisements, workers tools, among others — all tracing the company’s evolution across generations.



Also featured are other priceless pieces used in the brewing process, including a mash filter used in separating liquid wort from solid grain, in preparation for beer brewing; a washing machine used for the filter cloth for the mash filter; an all-copper centerpiece mash tun, where the brewing process begins; and mash kettle where the liquid wort is boiled.



The items represent the company’s “last remaining connection” to its long and remarkable history.



“This tribute to San Miguel’s beginnings and milestones could not have been better placed. Polo Brewery is our oldest operating facility and it serves not just as a sentimental link to our past, but as a source of strength. It should remind us of our tradition of excellence and hard work through generations of employees. That same tradition powers our company today,” said Ang.



Following the destruction of World War II, San Miguel had to rebuild from the ruins of the City of Manila where it was originally founded in the San Miguel district in 1890 to its then acquired Balintawak Beer Brewery in Polo, when the area was still part of Bulacan in 1947.

It is in this building that the museum now showcases its displays, foremost of which is the Royal Patent issued by the government of Spain in 1890 that granted founder Don Enrique Maria Barretto de Ycaza the 20-year exclusive rights to brew beer at his La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel in Manila.



Also on display are old promotional materials and advertising from the 1950s through the 1990s, as well as the various packaging and bottles developed over the decades.



Berba said preserving San Miguel’s history carries both honor and obligation. “You have to remember, while heritage… is a privilege, it is also a responsibility. It is our responsibility to make sure this legacy continues for SMB,” he said.



Efforts to establish the museum date back to as early as January 2000, but progress came gradually, with archives and historical pieces slowly accumulated through successive plant leaderships.



Stronger resolve to work on its completion came in 2025 as San Miguel marked its 135th anniversary, a milestone that highlights its longevity in Philippine business. Additional resources poured into transforming the space into what company officials described as a lasting source of pride for employees, and a reminder that long-term success is built on adaptation, discipline, and continuity.



For now, the Polo Brewery Museum is not open to the public, with only employee visits and pre-arranged, special visits allowed. It is intended not just to preserve artifacts, but also to highlight how brewing excellence, workforce training, and technological standards helped sustain the company’s expansion locally and regionally, for over a century.

Bukidnon 1st District Rep. Jose Manuel Alba, a long-time human resources officer of SMB, cited in his keynote address how he sees the human side of the company’s industrial story and its connection to the nation’s progress.



“Our rich history deserves to be honored even in a brewery like Polo — people need something that speaks to the heart,” Alba said. “Whether in San Miguel or in the public sector, the calling remains the same: Serve with your heart; struggle if you must; but always choose to be good.” ##30##

PHOTOS:


Leading the ribbon cutting rites of the Polo Brewery Museum are (from left) Bukidnon 1st District Rep. Jose Manuel Alba, SMC President and COO John Paul L. Ang, Polo Brewery Plant Manager Danny Pajarillo, former SMC CFO and now SMC consultant Ferdinand K. Constantino, and San Miguel Brewery Inc. President and COO Carlos Antonio M. Berba.






All-copper mash tun used in brewing beer and the evolution of San Miguel beer bottles.

A collection of vintage tools used in the old brewery.



The original marker of the Balintawak Beer Brewery plant in Polo, Bulacan, which was acquired by San Miguel in 1947 to rebuild its beer brewing business after World War II.



Perhaps, the most important artifact in the collection: the royal patent that gave Don Enrique Maria Barretto de Ycaza the exclusive rights to brew beer in Manila in 1890.







These dated tools and equipment were considered state-of-the-art during their time in the mid-1900s.