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PASIA launched a nationwide ethics and supply chain integrity program at PASIAWorld 2026 on October 8
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Chairman Charlie Villaseñor said global supply chains need three to five years to stabilize
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AI is taking over routine procurement work, which has historically taken up about 80% of staff time
The Procurement and Supply Institute of Asia (PASIA) launched a nationwide ethics and supply chain integrity program on October 8, 2026, at the opening of its PASIAWorld 2026 conference at the SMX Convention Center Manila.
PASIA Chairman and CEO Charlie Villaseñor announced the program in his opening address. The speech also covered inflation, geopolitical disruption and how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the procurement profession.
“This is the cornerstone of our profession,” Villaseñor told delegates. “Our vision is to establish a nationwide culture and network of ethical leaders, professionals and organizations.”
Villaseñor said PASIA’s board has lined up at least eight volunteers, including retired executives, to help assess companies and professionals. PASIA also plans to seek funding from global organizations to develop training and certification under the program.
He linked the program to investor confidence. He said the Philippines and its Southeast Asian neighbors compete for capital partly on the strength of institutional trust.
“Investments are not going to come here to the Philippines if they don’t trust us,” he said.
Villaseñor said Philippine inflation rose from 1.7% in September 2025 to 7.1% in the same month this year. He also pointed to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, which he said have damaged oil refineries and energy infrastructure. He said this set off a “bullwhip effect” of rising costs and disruption across industries.
He estimated that global supply chains will need three to five years to stabilize.
“No stock, no production. No production, no sales. No sales, no revenue. No revenue, start firing people,” he said, describing what supply chain disruptions mean for companies.
For shippers, buyers and logistics providers, his outlook points to several more years of cost pressure and supply uncertainty. That makes supplier risk management and contingency planning a priority.
Villaseñor said semiconductors and microchips now make up 68% of Philippine exports. However, he said Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam are moving faster than the Philippines in building specialized export industries.
Villaseñor described AI as “augmentation” rather than replacement. He said automation is taking over most of procurement’s operational work, such as turning purchase requests into purchase orders and expediting. These tasks have historically taken up about 80% of staff time.
This frees procurement professionals to focus on strategic work such as category management and building supplier alliances.
He cited event technology sponsors Anaplan and Coupa as examples of tools for planning and procurement, respectively, and FarEye for AI-driven transportation management.
PASIA and its business process outsourcing (BPO) arm, Transprocure, now earn 40% of revenue from the Philippines and 60% from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Villaseñor said this mix protects the business from domestic economic shocks, with the Philippines serving as its operations back office.
Now in its 24th year, PASIA has served 538 customers and was recently recognized as the top supply chain association in Asia, Villaseñor said. The group is planning a bigger event for its 25th anniversary in 2027.
PASIA’s government partners now include the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Health and the Government Procurement Policy Board, in addition to its private-sector work.
Villaseñor also disclosed that he has been senior supply chain advisor to the United States Department of State since January 6, 2026. His work there focuses on digitalizing the health sector’s supply chain.
PASIAWorld 2026, which ran until October 9, featured an exhibit, SupplyCon, for the first time.
Day 2 speakers included Jan De Leon, senior leadership and business development at the Association for Supply Chain Management, who presented survey findings on the industry’s outlook for 2027.
