ECOP chief says changing workplace demands leadership more than awareness

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) said that the complex challenges being faced in the workplace today demand more than awareness — but leadership.

This was stressed by ECOP President Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr. in his Call for Action speech – “From Legacy to Leadership: The Road Ahead for ECOP” – on the first day of the 46th National Employers Conference and celebration of the 50th ECOP Anniversary with the theme “ECOP@50: Empowering Employers, Building the Nation” on July 29, 2025.

Ortiz-Luis said these complex challenges are reshaping and driving the future of work, demographic shifts, climate imperatives, and evolving global standards. “These changes demand more than awareness—they demand leadership,” he said.

Ortiz-Luis told the gathering of the country’s largest organization: “This is the moment to ask: What kind of employers do we want to be? What kind of future are we helping to build?”

To answer this question, he urged fellow employers to go beyond profit, by investing in people, championing decent work, and upholding ethical and sustainable business practices.

“We must also strengthen our collective voice—calm, reasoned, and responsible—especially in shaping policies that affect enterprise, labor, and national competitiveness. As far as practicable, we should always aim to strike a delicate balance between the interests of labor and capital,” he said.

He reminded the members that ECOP was built and founded over the last five decades, not simply to represent employers—but to help shape a fair, just, and productive society. “That mission remains urgent today,” concluded ECOP’s longest running official.