As Inspiring Asia 2026 continues to build its regional presence across Asia, the Inspiring Asia team visited the Philippines to strengthen partnerships, deepen local engagement, and advance preparations for this year’s Inspiring Asia Grand Final.
During the visit, Candy Goh, Director of Li Foundation, and Dr. Ada Zhang, Executive Producer of Inspiring Asia, engaged with xchange, Inspiring Asia’s key regional partner in the Philippines, as well as Ayala Foundation and Fire & Ice Entertainment, new regional partners of Inspiring Asia. Across these exchanges, the discussions reflected the growing momentum of Inspiring Philippines and a shared commitment to bringing more meaningful social impact stories from the country to a wider Asian platform.
The conversation with xchange focused on the continued development of Inspiring Philippines. Mr. Rico Gonzalez, Managing Director and Co-Founder of xchange, and the wider xchange team shared insights from the local impact ecosystem and explored ways to identify meaningful projects, organisations, and storytellers from across the country. Founded in 2011, xchange is an impact-first venture and ecosystem builder that supports social enterprises and strengthens the impact ecosystem in the Philippines.
The collaboration with Ayala Foundation added an important institutional dimension to Inspiring Asia’s work in the Philippines. The engagement included a visit to Ayala Foundation’s office and discussions with Mr. Tony Lambino, President of Ayala Foundation, together with the foundation team. As the social development arm of the Ayala Group, Ayala Foundation supports initiatives in education, youth leadership, sustainable livelihood, arts and culture, and community development. Backed by one of the Philippines’ oldest and most established business groups, Ayala Foundation brings significant institutional strength, community reach, and a long-standing commitment to nation-building and inclusive growth.
The team also connected with Fire & Ice, a Philippine-based creative and entertainment group and regional partner of Inspiring Asia, bringing storytelling and creative engagement experience to the Philippines Regional Festival.
Through these conversations, Inspiring Asia further strengthened its regional network in the Philippines, bringing together partners from social innovation, philanthropy, community development, and the creative sector. This October, the Inspiring Asia Grand Final will bring together outstanding films and social impact projects from across Asia, creating a platform for local stories to enter regional conversations and for social impact practices to be shared, learned from, and amplified.
The book showcases how the participants challenged their limits and conquered the World Marathon Challenge and North Pole Marathon to inspire people to challenge their own limits and pursue their dreams boldly.
The book tells the stories behind the event which saw the largest number of people in history running 1045km round Taiwan in 19 days.