Cebu, Philippines – Varsity athletes, honor students and student leaders from all over the county once again came together for the 8th Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit (AFLBS) at the Marco Polo Hotel here with this year’s theme, “Significantly Changing My Philippines.”

Every year, AFLBS gathers about one hundred delegates among thousands of applicants across the country to learn straight from the executives of one of the Philippines’ best-managed companies and renowned resource speakers.

“We all have apart to play in nation-building and it’s very encouraging to see the youth aspiring to contribute to it. But for them to shape our nation towards a better future, we need to shape their mindsets first. This is what we wish to accomplish during the summit,” said Xavier “Txabi” Aboitiz, Chief Human Resource and Quality Office of the Aboitiz Group.

Among this year’s speakers were: Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) President and CEO Erramon Aboitiz; Visayan Electric Co. COO Jim Aboitiz; City Savings Bank VP William Paradies; Aboitiz Land President and CEO Andoni Aboitiz; Hedcor President and COO Rene Ronquillo; Union Bank of the Philippines Assistant Vice President Anna Aboitiz Delgado; AEV SVP for Human Resources Txabi Aboitiz; AEV SVP, CFO and CIO Steve Paradies; Aboitiz Foundation EVP and COO Sonny Carpio, and AEV SVP and Chief Reputation and Risk Management Officer Susan Valdez.

One of the summit’s highlights was the Leadership Forum, which featured Aboitiz Foundation President Jon Ramon Aboitiz and Trustee Romy Ronquillo, and Aboitiz Power Corp. FVP for Mindanao Affairs Bobby Orig.

Also present were Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler.com, and Bianca Gonzalez, TV host and recognized voice of the youth, to give aspirational talks.

What started as a small gathering of Cebu’s brightest soon emerged as an annual coming together of leaders at a national scope.

Pre-summit activities included an enjoyable roundabout of the beautiful city as well as a tour of Don Ramon Aboitiz’s home and the Children of Cebu Foundation, Inc., one of the beneficiaries of Aboitiz Foundation, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

For more information about the summit, visit www.facebook.com/AboitizLeaders, twitter.com/aboitizleaders, and/or careers.aboitiz.com