Singapore envoy Constance See calls for more opportunities for Filipino talent
Iza Iglesias
The Manila Times
12 October 2026
Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Constance See hopes to see more opportunities open up for Filipinos in 2027 and beyond, giving young people and entrepreneurs greater room to put their talent and ideas to work.
“I have lived in the Philippines for more than three years now, and what stays with me most is the energy of its people. I have met youths with big ambitions, entrepreneurs building businesses from very little, artists and designers producing extraordinary work and community leaders solving problems because they cannot afford to wait for somebody else to do it. There is a creative instinct here that I admire,” See said in an interview with The Manila Times Lifestyle.“You see it in Filipino art, music, food and design but also in business and everyday life. Filipinos are very good at using what is before them and imagining what it could become. So I wish for more opportunities for Filipino talent to flourish,” she added.
For See, that means giving young Filipinos more freedom to pursue careers suited to their abilities and helping entrepreneurs build lasting businesses.
“This means a young person being able to choose a profession because of ability rather than circumstance, or an entrepreneur being able to turn an idea into a viable business. It means parents knowing their children will have more choices than they did,” she said.
See also sees the intersection of Filipino creativity and technology as an area worth watching as artificial intelligence changes jobs and industries around the world.
“AI will change jobs and industries everywhere.
Countries will need people who can learn quickly, work across cultures, solve unfamiliar problems and create value. The Philippines has many of those human ingredients already,” See said.
“Filipinos are creative, adaptable, and remarkably comfortable with the world. There is a warmth and natural ease in connecting with people that should not be overlooked as an economic strength,” she added.
Those strengths are already evident in Singapore, she said, where Filipinos contribute to health care, finance, technology and engineering, and Filipino entrepreneurs have built businesses. Singapore companies also continue to invest in the Philippines because of its talent.
For more Filipinos to make the most of those abilities, See said, they need the right support.
“The question is to provide support in terms of infrastructure, education, and investment that the people need to compete at their best,” she said. Opportunity is not. The returns will be enormous if the gap is narrowed,” she continued.
Strengthening PH-Singapore ties
See hopes the two countries can build on their existing cooperation in trade, investment, security, education, technology and culture, with greater emphasis on the people who benefit from those ties.
“Singapore and the Philippines enjoy robust cooperation in many areas including trade and investment, security, education, tech and culture.
I would like to see our partnership become even more ambitious, forward-looking and people-centered,” she said.
“Singapore is consistently among the Philippines’ largest foreign investors. Our companies are active in sectors ranging from logistics, hospitality, telecommunications to renewable energy and digital services. There is room to do much more, particularly in connecting Filipino talent and enterprise with Singapore’s capital, technology and international networks,” See added.
She also pointed to scholarships, professional exchanges and the Singapore Cooperation Program as ways the two countries have built enduring ties between their people and institutions.
“Through scholarships, professional exchanges and the Singapore Cooperation Program, we have built relationships that extend well beyond individual projects. These are investments in people and their value becomes apparent years later,” she said.
The partnership will enter another chapter in 2027, when Singapore takes over the Asean chairmanship from the Philippines, and the regional bloc marks its 60th anniversary.
“We want to build on the Philippines’ work during its 2026 Asean Chairmanship to deepen regional economic integration, expand opportunities for our businesses and strengthen Asean’s connections with the world,” See said.
“I see our bilateral relationship and our work in Asean as mutually reinforcing. Singapore and the Philippines are quite different countries, but we share an instinct to look outwards and an understanding that our future prosperity depends on being connected to the world.
There is much we can accomplish together,” she added
Building resilience
While See sees significant opportunities for the Philippines, she also pointed to climate vulnerability as a challenge shared by Singapore and the Philippines.
“We are both island nations. In the Philippines, storms can wipe out in a short time what a family or community has spent years building. In Singapore, rising temperatures, sea levels and more extreme rainfall pose serious long-term challenges. So, resilience cannot be separated from development,” she said.
For See, investments in infrastructure, energy security, water, transport and urban planning ultimately protect people’s ability to work and study and help businesses keep running.
“Better infrastructure, energy security, water, transport and urban planning ultimately come down to something quite human – whether people can go to work safely, whether children can get to school, whether businesses can keep operating and how quickly a community can recover when disaster strikes,” she said.
“We have a shared interest in coming together and finding practical areas where we can build greater resilience together,” she added.
‘More doors’ for young Filipinos
Asked what changes she would most like to see for Filipinos by 2027 and in the years ahead, See returned to education and the opportunities it can bring.
“More doors open for young Filipinos,” she said. See recalled a recent meeting with the first group of Filipino college graduates supported by Singapore-based company Grab.
“The students have overcome many challenges to finish their education, and they are excited for their future. What struck me most listening to their stories was what their degrees represent for their families and communities. Education is a multiplier; its impact travels well beyond one individual,” See said.
“A student who receives an education can build a career, support a family and, in turn, create more opportunities for others. Talent is widely distributed
Finding their own path
See said Singapore’s experience cannot simply be applied to the Philippines, noting the two countries differ greatly in size and geography.
“Singapore is a city-state. The Philippines is a vast archipelago with 7,641 islands! We are very different countries, and I don’t think we can draw lessons too neatly. This is also a different time,” she said.
What Singapore’s experience does show, she said, is the need to keep adapting as circumstances change.
“Perhaps the useful lesson is that there is no permanent formula for success. And nothing is inevitable. Singapore today was never a foregone conclusion. It took difficult choices, sustained investment in our people and a willingness to change course when circumstances demanded it. We have had to reinvent our economy repeatedly,” See said.
“Industries that created jobs for one generation could not necessarily provide jobs for the next. We are confronting that question again today with AI, climate change and a much less predictable global economy.
Countries will have to be willing to change and adapt.
The Philippines will find its own path,” she added.
See noted that the Philippines has much to build on: a young population, considerable talent, natural resources, a large domestic market and growing links to the rest of the world.
“Singapore’s interest is straightforward. We want the Philippines to succeed, and where our interests and capabilities meet, we want to build things together,” she said.
A message for Filipinos
As she looks toward 2027 and beyond, See said her time in the Philippines has given her a personal appreciation for the country and its people.
“It has been an honor and privilege to be Singapore’s Ambassador to the Philippines. This is a country my family and I have come to love, where we have made friendships and memories that will forever be a part of us,” she said.
“I hope Filipinos will continue to believe in their country’s possibilities and take pride in what they have to offer the world. There is so much worth celebrating and even more worth building upon,” the envoy added.
She said she has seen those possibilities in what Filipinos have achieved in business, education, science, art and their communities, and hopes their achievements will encourage others.
“As Singapore takes over the Asean chairmanship from the Philippines in 2027, I am convinced the best relationships are not simply what our countries can do for each other today but what we can build together for the next generation. I look forward to that future with genuine affection for the Philippines and great confidence in its people.”
