A visit to Jollibee gave UK Trade Minister Anas Sarwar a taste of one of the Philippines' best-known homegrown brands as the United Kingdom and the Philippines continue to deepen their economic relationship.
Sarwar visited Jollibee's BGC Triangle Drive store in Taguig City during his September 2026 ministerial visit to the Philippines. He was accompanied by British Ambassador to the Philippines Sarah Hulton, OBE, and welcomed by Jollibee Group Chairman and Founder Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong and Global Chief Business Support Officer William Tan Untiong.
The visit was also notable from a diplomatic perspective. According to Jollibee Group, Sarwar's stop marked the first visit by a UK Trade Minister to the Philippines in nine years.
A trade minister's stop at a Filipino global brand
During the visit, Sarwar and Hulton toured the BGC store, met members of the Jollibee team, and explored some of the chain's signature menu items, including Chickenjoy, Jolly Spaghetti, Champ Burger, Chicken Nuggets, and Peach Mango Pie.
The visit took on a more informal tone as Sarwar interacted with customers and crew members and took selfies inside the restaurant. He was also presented with a Jollibee Funko Pop figure dressed in a Barong Tagalog.
Beyond the lighthearted moments, the stop offered a snapshot of the role established Filipino companies can play in conversations that extend beyond the domestic market.
Jollibee Group has built a portfolio of food brands with operations in multiple international markets. Its Philippine origins and international expansion provide an example of how a local company can develop a brand with relevance to consumers outside its home market.
The bigger business relationship behind the visit
Sarwar's Philippine trip came as the UK and Philippines were working to expand their economic and trade cooperation.
On September 22, the two countries held the second UK-Philippines Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) ministerial meeting in Metro Manila. The discussions covered areas including agriculture, energy, infrastructure, economic development, trade digitalisation, and space.
The UK government reported that total trade in goods and services between the UK and Philippines reached £3.1 billion in the four quarters to the end of the first quarter of 2026, consisting of £1.3 billion in UK exports and £1.8 billion in UK imports.
The two countries also finalised a government-to-government partnership on infrastructure during Sarwar's visit. The agreement creates a route for eligible Philippine infrastructure projects to be considered for support from UK Export Finance, which has up to £5 billion in capacity available for eligible projects in the Philippines.
Potential areas of cooperation include transport, clean energy, healthcare, water, digital infrastructure, and advanced technology.
Why business leaders should watch the relationship
For companies, stronger bilateral trade relationships can create opportunities beyond traditional imports and exports.
The UK-Philippines discussions are increasingly covering infrastructure, digitalisation, energy, technology, and other areas where private-sector expertise and investment can intersect with government priorities.
The UK and Philippines have also been strengthening their wider economic relationship through ASEAN. During the sixth ASEAN Economic Ministers-UK consultation in Manila, officials noted that UK-ASEAN trade in goods and services reached £62 billion in 2025, up 17.4% from 2024.
Against that backdrop, Sarwar's Jollibee visit is a smaller but visible part of a much larger business conversation.
It also puts a familiar Filipino brand into the picture of international economic engagement. While a restaurant visit is not itself a trade agreement, it illustrates how business, culture, consumer brands, and government-to-government relationships can intersect during an official international visit.
For Philippine companies with ambitions beyond the domestic market, the broader UK-Philippines engagement is worth watching as both governments identify areas for deeper commercial cooperation.
And for Sarwar, his stop at Jollibee offered a distinctly Filipino welcome during a visit focused on strengthening economic ties between two countries.