Ten Philippine firms made it to Time and Statista’s World’s Best Companies list for 2025

Philippine firms in 2025 World's Best Companies list

By Earl John Alfaro
Manila Times
12 September 2025

TEN Philippine firms made it to Time and Statista’s World’s Best Companies list for 2025, with Ayala Corp. the highest in 210th place.

The 1,000 firms on the list were measured on employee satisfaction, revenue growth and sustainability transparency.

Ayala, the country’s oldest conglomerate, scored an overall 86.26 out of a possible 100. It ranked high in employee satisfaction (95th) and placed 587th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank # 1; World Rank # 210

“This recognition inspires us to be an even better Ayala as we journey to our 200th year,” Ayala President and CEO Cezar Consing said in a statement on Thursday.

“We share this with our employees and partners, whose hard work and support helped Ayala earn this honor,” he added

Security Bank Corp. followed in 369th place with a score of 84.04, ranking 146th in employee satisfaction and 534th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #2; World Rank #369

SM Investments Corp., the parent firm of the SM group, placed 407th with a score of 83.46. It ranked 522nd in employee satisfaction and 747th in sustainability transparency, while its affiliate, China Banking Corp., also made the list at 882nd place with a score of 75.62, ranking 639th in employee satisfaction and 927th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #3; World Rank #407

“This recognition inspires us to keep strengthening our efforts in creating value for our stakeholders and contributing positively to our communities,” SM Investments President and CEO Frederic DyBuncio said in a separate statement.

“It also reflects our balanced approach to growth, delivering strong results for shareholders while also fostering long-term value and resilience for employees, partners and communities.”

Other Philippine companies on the list were:

– Jollibee Foods Corp. (685th with a score of 79.29), 211th in employee satisfaction and 913th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #4; World Rank #685

– Union Bank of the Philippines (764th, 78.15), 321st in employee satisfaction and 771st in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #5; World Rank #764

– International Container Terminal Services Inc. (828th, 76.87), 790th in employee satisfaction and 846th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #6; World Rank #828

– China Bank. (882nd, 75.62), 639th in employee satisfaction, 927th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #7; World Rank #882

– JG Summit Holdings Inc. (949th, 73.13), 858th in employee satisfaction, 949th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #8; World Rank #949

– Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (962nd, 72.69), 527th in employee satisfaction, 848th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #9; World Rank # 962

– Filinvest Development Corp. (995th, 71.42), 988th in employee satisfaction, 936th in sustainability transparency.

PH Rank #10; World Rank # 988

Ayala and SM Investments were said to have recorded “very high” revenue growth while Security Bank, Jollibee, ICTSI, Chinabank, JG Summit and Filinvest were scored “high.” UnionBank and Robinsons Retail revenues, meanwhile, were “moderate.”

Nvidia, which in the summer became the first public company to hit $4 trillion in market value, topped the 2025 ranking. Time said it “rose through the ranks on a wave of growing artificial intelligence (AI) demand and a well-performing gaming division.”

Microsoft, second on this list and just behind Nvidia in market value, was also said to have seen revenue surge last year due to AI and cloud computing.

Last year’s No. 1, Apple, was dropped from the list due to a decline in revenue from 2022 to 2024. Time noted that Wall Street analysts had linked the revenue drop to Apple having fallen behind on AI.

To measure employee satisfaction, Time and Statista used surveys of over 200,000 workers worldwide, while revenue growth was assessed using data for the last three years.

Companies should have generated at least $100 million in revenues in 2023 and 2024 depending on the most recent data and also needed to have recorded growth over the last three years.

As for sustainability transparency, environmental, social and governance data were considered, including carbon emissions reduction, the share of women in the companies’ boards, the existence of human rights policies, corporate social responsibility reporting and corruption/anti-corruption guidelines.

Three Australian women of Filipino heritage took home the major titles in Queens of Australia

Filipino-Aussies dominate 2025 Queens of Australia pageant

Armin P. Adina
Inquirer.net
08 September 2025

Filipino-American women emerged victorious in the recently concluded Queens of Australia pageant, earning the right to represent the “Land Down Under” on the international stage.

Three Australian women of Filipino heritage took home the major titles at the end of the national competition held at the Bryan Brown Theater in New South Wales on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 7. Nine ladies took part in the contest.

Alexa Roder from Queensland was crowned Miss Earth Australia, succeeding Jessica Lane, the first Australian woman to win the Miss Earth title.

The new queen is set to compete in the 25th staging of the Manila-based Miss Earth pageant that will be held later this year and try to post a second consecutive win for Australia.

Crowned Miss International Australia was Bella Dela Cruz from New South Wales. She had recently competed in the 2025 Miss Universe Philippines pageant, where she finished in the Top 24.

She was fielded by the Filipino community in Australia for the 2025 Miss Universe Philippines pageant to represent Sydney. But she eventually carried her Filipino hometown of Lucena in the national competition.

Dela Cruz succeeded last year’s Australian Miss International delegate, Selina McCloskey, and is set to compete in the 63rd edition of the global tilt that will be held in Tokyo, Japan, in November.

The third big winner was Adriana Gravador, also from New South Wales. She was crowned Miss Eco Australia and is set to compete in next year’s Miss Eco International pageant and try to succeed the Filipino queen Alexie Mae Brooks.

Three more titleholders were proclaimed at the pageant, all from New South Wales — Miss Earth Australia Fire Jamie Boyd, Miss Earth Australia-Water Andrea Alexis, and Miss Earth Australia-Air Tania Sheckleton.

The Queens of Australia pageant is organized by Stargazer Production and serves as the national competition for the country’s delegates to the Miss Earth, Miss International, and Miss Eco International pageants. /edv

Pinay Tennis Star wins first WTA title in Guadalajara Open

Alex Eala clinches first WTA title, rules Guadalajara 125 Open

Lance Agcaoili 

Inquirer.net

07 September 2025

MANILA, Philippines — The legend of Alex Eala continues to grow as she finally captured her maiden Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title.

Recovering from a first-set rout, Eala never wavered against Hungary’s Panna Udvardy to complete an epic comeback, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, and rule the Guadalajara 125 Open early Sunday (Philippine time) at Grandstand Caliente in Mexico.

The 20-year-old Filipino tennis ace showed nerves of steel, surviving extended games in the second set to drag Udvardy into a decider before pulling away in the third.

Up 4-2, Eala momentarily stumbled when her forehand was called out in the seventh game, but she regrouped and closed out the last two games to become the first Filipino to win a WTA championship.

The World No. 75 Eala bounced back in the second set with a 4-1 start en route to a commanding 5-3 lead, but the World No. 134 from Hungary managed to rally to tie it at 5-all. She then dug deep in the last two games, erasing 15-40 and 0-40 deficits to force a decider.

She needed to overcome a lethargic start, as she was dominated in the first three games before scoring in the fourth game. Udvardy quickly regained control, however, to take the first set in dominating fashion.

Eala’s breakthrough triumph capped an already stellar season highlighted by her dream run at the Miami Open and her runner-up finish in the Lexus Eastbourne Open last June, where she fell to Maya Joint in three sets.

The Guadalajara title was added to her growing collection, which includes five International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles titles and the 2022 US Open girls’ trophy.

The last time she held a trophy was July 2024, when she won the singles and doubles in the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain.

Eala has since been playing in bigger tournaments, with three Grand Slam main draw appearances — the most recent her historic first-round win in the 2025 US Open.

Her title run came after a grueling stretch, including a 6-2, 6-3 semifinal win over American Kayla Day. On Friday, she survived two matches in one day: a rain-delayed Round of 16 comeback over Varvara Lepchenko, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3, and a 7-6 (2), 6-2 quarterfinal victory over Italy’s Nicole Fossa Huergo.

Eala could win another title in Brazil for the Sao Paulo Open from September 8 to 14.