adobo Magazine officially capped off “Galing Pilipinas: Championing Philippine Creativity at MAD STARS” with the Galing Pilipinas Conference on August 28 at SIGNIEL Busan.
The conference, part of the entire Galing Pilipinas initiative organized by adobo Magazine in collaboration with the MAD STARS organizing committee, marked a historic milestone for MAD STARS as the Philippines became the festival’s first-ever Country of Focus in its 19-year history. Galing Pilipinas also included a three-day exhibit and Salu-Salo Social, a networking party for Mad Stars delegates organized by adobo Magazine in partnership with M25.
adobo Magazine President, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero hosted the conference. In her opening remarks, she underscored the deeper significance of Galing Pilipinas, noting, ‘“For a country like ours — an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, with a creative community shaped by many cultures, languages, histories, influences, and experiences — this is more than a spotlight.”
“It is an invitation. An invitation for the world to look beyond what it already knows about the Philippines, and to discover the depth, imagination, ingenuity, and unmistakable spirit of Filipino creativity.”
“And we at adobo Magazine are incredibly humbled that MAD STARS asked us to be its partner in mounting this three-day celebration of Filipino creativity called Galing Pilipinas.”
She went on and explained the double meaning of the phrase “Galing Pilipinas.”
“Galing Pilipinas or Galing Pilipinas could mean either of two things. From the Philippines —Galing Pilipinas— or Philippine excellence — Galing Pilipinas.”
Filipino creativity has landed
Representing Her Excellency Bernadette Therese Fernandez, Ambassador of the Philippines to the Republic of Korea, Philippine Embassy in Seoul Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General Edwin Gil Mendoza, together with Vice Consul Mahgie Lacaba, also graced the occasion. MAD STARS Executive Committee Chairperson Hwanjin Choi and Chairperson Taeyoul Park were likewise present.
The Consul General threw his full support behind Galing Pilipinas, praising it for shining a light on both the best of Philippine advertising and marketing, and the overlooked segments of the creative economy still underrepresented on the global stage.
He offered a bold statement on Filipino creativity and the Philippine creative economy, saying, “This conference affirms what the world is increasingly acknowledging: Filipino creativity has arrived — and it is leading.”
“For decades now, Filipino creatives have demonstrated time and again that Filipino ideas resonate, our stories move, and our innovations inspire. This conference is a testament to the leaps and bounds of Filipino creativity and the immense value of the Philippines’ creative economy.”
Hyper-local sensitivity, world-class approach
More than a hundred creatives from around the world gathered to hear insights from Unilever Philippines Beauty & Wellbeing Head of Marketing Dennis Perez, Jayme Headquarters – JHQ‘s Chairmom Merlee Jayme, and BBDO Guerrero Creative Chairman David Guerrero.
During Dennis’ presentation, “Culture-Led Marketing: Creating Meaningful Worlds,” he discussed the three things a brand needs to be truly culture-led: cultural positioning, social-first marketing, and culture intelligence.
Dennis defined cultural positioning as “knowing who you are, why anyone should care, and how you show up because of it.”
He dispelled the notion that social-first marketing is merely influencer-led or stepping away from traditional formats such as TV and radio.
“Social-first, at its core, is about being culture-first. It’s about being truly culture-led,” he said. “It’s about expressing the brand through people’s culture stacks — how they choose to create and consume content, and how they choose to experience culture.”
Dennis then defined culture intelligence as “knowing culture — and actually living it.”
Merlee’s keynote, on the other hand, was an insightful exploration aptly called “Why Filipino Ideas Travel.”
She began it with a thought-provoking statement.
“The best global ideas don’t begin with the world in mind. They begin with the people they’re meant to serve,” she said.
She then discussed several factors that make Filipino creatives capable of crafting ideas that resonate with the rest of the world: observation, resourcefulness, culture, “puso” I(heart), and authenticity.
Through his presentation, “Doing more with less. The Philippine culture of resourceful creativity,” David Guerrero gave a rundown of some of the most awarded campaigns of the Philippines over the past two decades, and underscored the common theme driving the country’s unique contribution to creativity: the Filipinos’ innate capability for making something out of something so little.
His talk was empowering. “Each feature is a case study that we hope will inspire you to come up with unique solutions for your own brands,” he said.
Among the campaigns he discussed were Pepsi’s “Liter of Light,” which won multiple top honors at MAD STARS in 2014, and Philippine Airlines’ “Safetynovela,” which won a Grand Prix in the Branded Entertainment Stars category and Crystal in the Film Stars category at MAD STARS 2026.
He also shared tips on how to maximize Filipino resourcefulness to fuel creativity and produce results.
Magaling ang galing Pilipinas
adobo Magazine Editorial & Content Director Jill Tan Radovan wrapped up the series of talks with a brief yet pointed synthesis of the presentations.
“Today, we learned a lot about how Filipino creatives think. We learned how much culture and a certain level of cultural intelligence allows us to craft effective and impactful strategies,” she said, highlighting key points from Dennis’ talk.
She also echoed a point Merlee made in her keynote about a distinctly Filipino strength: “We learned how being observant of culture and of behaviors — and being resourcefu l— enables us not just to make brave statements to the rest of the world, but also to solve problems.”
“We also learned, step-by-step, how we can make something great out of something so little,” she added, then thanked David for the sound advice.
Referring to the Philippines, she said, “We may be a relatively small country. We may be used to having relatively less than the rest. But we have so much talent, so much creativity, and so much humanity that allow us to shine on platforms like MAD STARS.”
“And it’s because magaling ang galing Pilipinas.” (And it’s because those from the Philippines are highly capable.)
A cultural dance performance by the United Fil-Korean Families (UFF) — a non-profit Filipino community organization based in Busan dedicated to promoting unity, cultural understanding, and community empowerment among Filipinos and multicultural families — capped off the conference.
Organized by adobo Magazine in partnership with Mad Stars, Galing Pilipinas was made possible through the support of its partners: Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines, Philippine Consulate General in Busan, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, DTI – Design Center of the Philippines, Philippine Airlines, Oishi , Papemelroti, Lucky Me!, GUZTO Banana Chips, Lemon Square, GSM Premium Gin, M25, LoudBox Studios, and Think Tank Manila.
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Galing Pilipinas: BBDO Guerrero, Leo Manila, GIGIL, TBWA\SMP, Lennon Group among Philippine winners at MAD STARS 2026
Galing Pilipinas opens in Busan, putting Filipino creativity on the MAD STARS stage
