The Age of Competition: Navigating the Precipice of 2026

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

The world has entered a "darkening outlook". As we stand in 2026, the global community finds itself on a jagged precipice, moving away from a decade of "polycrisis" into a starker, more confrontational era defined as the Age of Competition. The Global Risks Report 2026 reveals a planet where the very mechanisms of cooperation are crumbling, replaced by a "contested multipolar landscape" where confrontation is the new currency.

A World in Turbulence: The Short-Term Storm

The immediate future looks increasingly grim. Half of the global experts and leaders surveyed anticipate a "turbulent" or "stormy" outlook over the next two years—a significant 14 percentage-point increase in pessimism compared to the previous year.

At the heart of this storm lies Geoeconomic confrontation. No longer a background tension, it has surged to become the #1 risk most likely to trigger a global crisis in 2026. This "weaponization of everything"—from sanctions and capital restrictions to the deliberate disruption of systemically important supply chains—threatens the core of the interconnected global economy.

Parallel to economic warfare, the specter of State-based armed conflict looms large, ranking as the second most immediate threat. As nations turn inward and strategic competition intensifies, the "rules and institutions that have long underpinned stability are increasingly deadlocked or ineffective".

The Economic Reckoning: Bubbles and Debt

While geopolitical fires burn, an economic reckoning is gathering pace. Economic risks have seen the sharpest rises in concern:

Economic downturn and Inflation have both jumped eight positions in the global risk rankings.

Asset bubble bursts have climbed seven positions, fueled by mounting debt sustainability concerns.

Roughly one-third of global corporate debt must be refinanced between 2025 and 2027, even as interest payments drain funds away from productive investment.

Technological Shadows: From Misinformation to AI

Technology remains a double-edged sword. While it drives innovation, it is also a primary source of instability:

Misinformation and Disinformation rank as the #2 most severe risk over the next two years, acting as a corrosive force on social cohesion.

Adverse outcomes of AI technologies represent the most dramatic climber in the report, leaping from the 30th position in the short term to the 5th most severe risk over the next decade. Experts fear AI will become a "systemic force" shaping security and labor markets in unpredictable ways.

The Long-Term Horizon: Environmental and Social Decay

As short-term crises demand immediate attention, the report warns of a dangerous "reprioritization" of long-term threats.

Environmental Risks: While extreme weather events have slipped slightly in short-term priority, they dominate the 10-year horizon. Extreme weather, Biodiversity loss, and Critical change to Earth systems occupy the top three spots for the next decade. Over 75% of respondents view the long-term environmental outlook as "turbulent" or "stormy".

The Fraying Social Contract: Inequality has been identified as the most interconnected global risk of the decade. As the gap between citizens and governments widens, "societal polarization" (ranked #3 in the short term) continues to undermine the collective action needed to solve global problems.

Conclusion: A Range of Trajectories

The Global Risks Report 2026 is not a prophecy of doom, but a call to action. It emphasizes that "the future is not a single, fixed path but a range of possible trajectories". While 57% of leaders expect a stormy decade ahead, the remaining 43% see a path toward resilience—if, and only if, the world can find new, pragmatic forms of cooperation amid this intense competition. The decisions made today will determine whether the world recovers its footing or slides further over the edge.

CITEM’s Likhang Filipino taps PHLPost as its official service delivery provider

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Manila, Philippines – The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) has partnered with the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) to serve as an Acceptance Post Office (PO) for Express Mail Service (EMS) shipments to consumers participating in Likhang Filipino, showcasing the best of Filipino design, creativity, and craftsmanship to the world which will open on January 15, 2026.

Through this initiative, PHLPost will bring the best of the Philippines abroad by facilitating the efficient acceptance and processing of EMS parcels from local artisans and producers. This collaboration aims to support local consumers to ship their items by providing them with reliable, secure, and globally connected courier services for their products.

As the designated Acceptance Post Office, PHLPost Mega Manila Area will ensure streamlined processing, proper documentation, and timely dispatch of EMS shipments, enabling participants to reach both local and international markets more effectively.

“This initiative strengthens our commitment to empower Filipinos to promote and ship homegrown products on the global stage,” Acting Postmaster General and CEO Maximo C. Sta. Maria III said. “By providing accessible and dependable logistics services, we help bridge local craftsmanship to international opportunities.”

CITEM’s Likhang Filipino program continues to champion Philippine creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation. With PHLPost’s EMS services, participating consumers and producers are assured of fast, trackable, and secure delivery of their goods worldwide.

This PHLPost partnership reflects the government’s continued efforts to boost trade, support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and promote Filipino-made products across borders.

DepEd posts major procurement gains under Angara’s watch, speeds up resources support for teachers, learners

 

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MAKATI CITY, 14 January 2026 — In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s push to make government spending faster, more transparent, and more responsive to public needs, the Department of Education (DepEd) recorded major procurement gains in 2025, the first full year under Education Secretary Sonny Angara. 

For 2025 implementation, DepEd awarded 99.3 percent of its planned procurement chargeable against 2024 funds. The near-total awarding ensured that appropriations were translated into actual programs, goods, and services that directly support classroom learning, rather than remaining unused.

Angara, who served as the principal author of the New Government Procurement Act during his time in the Senate, framed the milestone as a matter of public accountability.

“Nung pumasok kami sa DepEd, ang marching order mula sa Pangulo ay bawat pisong inaprubahan para sa edukasyon ay dapat maramdaman sa silid-aralan. Hindi puwedeng manatili lang sa papel ang budget, kailangan itong maging aklat, kagamitan, at suporta na aktuwal na napapakinabangan ng mga mag-aaral at guro,” Angara said.

DepEd also accelerated implementation through the strategic use of Early Procurement Activities (EPA). The department awarded 91 contracts for 2025 as early as January, with all EPA contracts awarded by March. This allowed deliveries to schools between March and August of the same year, significantly improving access to learning resources earlier in the school cycle.

Among the major procurement outputs for 2025 were digital and classroom support items under the DepEd Computerization Program, including 33,540 laptops for teaching personnel, 5,302 laptops for non-teaching staff, and 30,440 smart televisions distributed nationwide. The agency also awarded 1,374,231 Science and Mathematics Equipment (SME) packages for public schools.

By end of 2025, DepEd directly entered into contracts for 47 classrooms under the Last Mile Schools (LMS) program, shifting from conventional construction to a design-and-build approach to address recurring abandonment issues caused by site-specific conditions in remote areas.

Angara also led a major shift in textbook procurement, moving DepEd away from developing manuscripts toward the procurement of available titles in the market. The change significantly shortened the procurement timeline up to delivery, from 245 to 451 days to as short as 180 days.

The streamlined process resulted in time savings of up to 246 days, equivalent to a 26 to 45 percent efficiency gain. More importantly, the reform enabled DepEd to complete the procurement of all planned textbook requirements for 2024 and 2025, ensuring the timely availability of learning materials in schools.

DepEd also awarded several projects aimed at strengthening teacher development and inclusion. These include projects on upskilling and reskilling of 1,000 professional teachers and graduating pre-service teachers for career progression, and the policy mapping and strengthened referral mechanisms for learners with disabilities enrolled in the Alternative Learning System (ALS).  

DepEd likewise advanced the Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project (TEACEP), a five-year, World Bank-funded initiative aimed at improving education quality and access for Kindergarten to Grade 6 learners in Regions IX, XII, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). As part of the project, 16,600 tablets were awarded to support teaching, learning, and instructional leadership in priority areas.

To support uninterrupted learning during disasters and emergencies, the department also rolled out the prototype units of the Disaster Response System for the Learning Continuity Package and upgraded Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS). This includes the deployment of 141 LCS, composed of two prototype units, six units already constructed in Masbate, and 133 units for nationwide deployment.

DepEd likewise successfully managed the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) for fiscal year 2025, covering 3,398,541 beneficiaries for nutritionally fortified food or hot meals for 120 days, and 2,685,054 beneficiaries for milk feeding for 15 days.

For early childhood education, the department awarded 228,740 sets of kindergarten educational toys and 2,216,383 million kinder activity sheets, strengthening play-based learning and school readiness for young learners.

 

With DepEd also receiving its largest budget in history at P1.015 trillion for 2026, the department said it is moving to further strengthen procurement reforms to make systems more agile and responsive. These include expanded early procurement, tighter alignment between planning and actual school needs, and faster delivery timelines to ensure that increased funding results in visible improvements on the ground.

“Kapag maayos at maagap ang procurement, mas maaga ring nakakarating sa mga paaralan ang mga kailangang resources. Doon nasusukat kung epektibo ang serbisyo ng gobyerno at kung may tunay na balik ang pondo ng bayan,” Angara said.

These developments form part of a broader reform agenda to modernize procurement, shorten delivery cycles, and ensure that every peso spent on education produces timely and tangible benefits for learners, teachers, and schools.