DATE & TIME
Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Starts at 6PM.
TICKET PRICE
Php500 (plus VAT) – Limited Slots
VENUE
Leap Studios, 2235 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City
HOW TO JOIN
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DisruptPH
We have limited seating, so all registrations will be subject to review and approval beforehand. Applicants will receive a confirmation email with access details.
AGENDA
| 6:00 PM | Doors Open/ Registration |
| 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM | Welcome Remarks/ Primer on the Topic |
| 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM | Panel Discussion/ Open Forum |
| 8:30 PM – onwards | Networking |
SYNOPSIS
A critical question hangs over the Philippine economic landscape: will AI make human labor obsolete? Our economy runs on human talent. It’s the driving force behind a massive IT-BPM sector and the steady flow of global remittances. Because our people are our primary economic engine, the rise of AI forces us to rethink how the country will generate wealth moving forward.
While the immediate fear is a dystopian future where bots replace the workforce, economic history points to a completely different outcome. Enter Jevons Paradox. In 1865, economist William Stanley Jevons observed that when the steam engine made coal usage more efficient, coal consumption didn’t drop. It skyrocketed because it unlocked entirely new industries. We saw this exact same phenomenon play out a century later with the invention of the microchip: as computing power became cheaper and more efficient, it triggered an exponential explosion in data demand, paving the way for the internet, smartphones, and the digital economy. The same held true for labor. Many feared the PC would wipe out office jobs. Instead, it created millions of new roles in software, IT support, and data entry that never existed before. The iPhone followed the same path. It didn’t just replace old tools, it spawned entire industries: app development, mobile marketing, and the gig economy that now employs millions worldwide.
But will this paradox hold true for the modern Philippines, or is this time fundamentally different?
The data tells a complex story. The Philippine IT-BPM sector entered 2026 on the heels of a 5% revenue increase ($40 billion) and an expanded workforce of 1.9 million. Yet, that 5% growth reflects a visible maturation and cooling from the near double-digit growth rates of previous years. Simultaneously, 67% of local BPO firms have already integrated AI augmentation into their day-to-day operations.
We are standing at a critical crossroads. Will this technological shift act as a massive economic supercharger that frees human capital for higher-order innovation, or will it create an unprecedented structural skills gap that disrupts our middle class?
SPEAKERS
Rafael Jose “Joel” Consing Jr.
CEO, Maharlika Investment Corporation
As the President and CEO of the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC), Joel manages the nation’s sovereign wealth fund with a direct mandate to deploy long-term capital into high-impact sectors.
With over two decades of heavyweight experience in global capital markets, corporate leadership, and infrastructure finance, Joel views the AI transition through a national fiscal lens. He will address how technological efficiency intersects with national GDP growth, state infrastructure investments, and the broader economic resilience needed to keep the Philippines globally competitive.
Michael McCullough
Co-Founder, KMC
Michael McCullough is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of KMC Savills, the fastest-growing commercial real estate and workplace service provider in the country.
With a professional background rooted in Silicon Valley and over a decade of shaping Metro Manila’s skylines, Michael understands the physical and operational realities of business. He will detail how corporate spaces, provincial tech hubs, and startup ecosystems must structurally evolve to accommodate a hyper-efficient, hybrid, and AI-augmented workforce.
Bharat “Bart” Keswani
Senior Associate, Navegar
Bharat “Bart” Keswani is a Senior Associate at Navegar, a leading Philippine private equity firm, where he focuses on sourcing and evaluating investments across the outsourcing, consumer, financial services, and technology sectors, among others. Over nearly a decade with the firm, he has worked across the full investment lifecycle—from due diligence and deal execution to value creation and exit.
Bart has worked closely with the IT-BPM industry, including Navegar’s investment in and successful exit from Cloudstaff, a technology-enabled outsourcing and staffing company. Drawing on this experience, he brings an investor’s perspective on how AI is reshaping outsourcing, workforce dynamics, and the future competitiveness of the Philippine economy.
John Dang
Founder & Host, Breaking Ground
Moderator
John Dang is a prominent investor, storyteller, and the host of the widely followed Breaking Ground Podcast. Known for tackling the raw, complex, and often uncomfortable realities of the Philippine economy – ranging from fiscal vulnerabilities and real estate dynamics to the structural mechanics keeping local wages low – John brings an uncompromising, data-driven lens to the stage.
As host, he will reject standard panel platitudes, driving the speakers to defend their stances against tough macroeconomic realities and contrarian viewpoints.
For queries, contact: roncastro@theindependentinvestor.ph