TODAY the Philippines has the largest generation of young people in its history — with average age at 25.7 years. Some 30 million (or 28 percent) Filipinos are aged 10-24, while 64 percent are in the productive age of 15-64 (Commission on Population and Development, 2026).
We are at the cusp of reaping a “demographic dividend” — an economic growth potential resulting from fewer children, young people with better health and education, who are productive in decent jobs that help them save and invest for their future.
Unless government policies leverage this demographic advantage, it could become an economic time bomb. Many young people face challenges while growing up — stunting, life-threatening risks, mental health issues, increasing incidence of teenage pregnancy, child marriage, which deter children from attending school, 28 percent of reported HIV cases coming from 15-24 year olds (HIV and AIDS Registry of the Philippines, 2018), and a growing number of “functionally illiterate Filipinos.”
Commission on Population and Development Executive Director Lisa Grace Bersales recently said that the working-age population (15-64) will likely reach 70 percent. (PNA, Inquirer.net, Jan 16, 2026)
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Engagement
But while people may be working, “engagement” is needed to make them committed and contribute value to the organization.
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Engagement is “the emotional connection that an employee has with his/her job, boss, and organization.”
According to data, only 21 percent of the world’s employees are engaged, vs. 31 percent in the United States.
The Philippines leads Asean with 38 percent employee engagement, followed by Thailand, 33; Indonesia, 27; Laos, 26; Malaysia, 25; Myanmar, 19; Cambodia and Singapore, 14; and Vietnam, 11. (SEASIA Stats, May 15, 2025). Singapore and Vietnam, which have higher productivity than the Philippines, have lower employee engagement.
Gallup highlighted key findings on global engagement: “Disengagement cost the world economy $438 billion in 2024; managers’ engagement fell from 30 to 27 percent; employee well-being perception declined by five percentage-points to 33 percent; and $9.6 trillion in productivity could have been added to the economy if the global workforce was fully engaged.” (State of the Global Workplace 2025 Report, Gallup)
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Validation
At the formal launching of Naga College Foundation’s (NCF) bid to become a university, I interviewed at random some managers, employees and students to see their level of engagement.
Kevin Pantoja, from the outlying Siruma town, is a College of Arts and Sciences student. He believes that NCF excels in high-quality education, and has professional and caring faculty and staff. He thinks NCF’s teaching facilities are already great, but expects that becoming a university can further motivate the faculty, staff, and students. He is excited that he “enrolled in a college and will graduate from a university.” (He is engaged with the organization.)
Francis Kim Gaupo is a Criminal Justice and Education student, and one of the 120-150 scholars working as student assistants. He is aware of NCF’s evolution from Naga Teachers College and soon to NUF. He thinks that NCF’s becoming a university will lead to even better facilities, teaching methods, and more proud students. He is “proud and happy that NCF’s hard work at improving education in Bicolandia is recognized by government.” (He is also engaged with the
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organization.)
Ely James Alimuin, a student at NCF’s College of Teacher Education, hails its impending university-hood as a “great milestone,” and believes that “it’s about time that we become a university after 79 years.” As a transferee, he knows that “NCF has better resources, and makes education better and more relevant.” (He is engaged with the school.)
Abigail Lizardo is a senior records clerk at the Registrar’s Office. Starting work in 2019 as an enrollment officer for three colleges, she now supervises the back office after helping digitize active student files in 2025. If NCF becomes a university, “we can expect more enrollment, greater volume of work, but with our digital transformation, we can do an even better job.” (She is engaged with her job.)
Odelon Remoquillo is the director for administrative services, and is proud to have joined NCF “when it was peaking from 3,000 students … to 17,000 now.” He says their facilities are comparable, if not better, than other universities, with almost all classrooms already air-conditioned. He says, “Our laboratories are better than those of other universities, particularly in nursing.” He would want to stay, as he did “from take-off, to sustaining development in technology, facilities, and improving our overall capability to provide world-class but affordable education.” (He is engaged both with his job and the organization.)
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Rolly Villadarez is now finance manager, after working and teaching simultaneously for several years. When Dr. Mario C. Villanueva joined NCF as president a decade ago, Rolly “immediately believed in his vision, how he took risks to address NCF’s problems squarely, at a time when not too many believed in NCF.” He stood by his leader, waited for NCF to become a university, and hopes that “we maintain the professional but family-like environment, where people get recognized for their contribution.” (Rolly’s engagement is with his boss and organization.) Most high-performing organizations have high engagement levels.
Ernie Cecilia is chairman of the human capital committee and the publications committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham); chairman of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines’ (ECOP) TWG on labor policy and social issues; and past president of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). He can be reached at [email protected]
