Karen Davila expressed how honored she was to host the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Handover, which happened on Thursday, January 29.
On her Instagram page, the ABS-CBN journalist shared: "On assignment. Honored to host the formal ceremonial handover of the chairship of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council from Malaysia to the Philippines," she said.
Karen highlighted that this is such an important milestone for the Philippines. "This is historic for the country. The Philippines officially assumed the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2026 under the leadership of PBBM, succeeding Malaysia with PH hosting over 650 meetings this year," she remarked.
She also underscored why the role is crucial for the Philippines’ economic positioning in the region. "ASEAN is a major global economic powerhouse, with a combined GDP exceeding $3.6 trillion (projected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2030). With nearly 700 million people, it serves as a critical manufacturing hub, a major recipient of foreign direct investment. It’s time the Philippines take full advantage of the opportunities at ASEAN," she stated.
The ceremonial transfer of the council's leadership from Malaysia to the Philippines was led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacañang Palace on Thursday.
Karen is currently one of the anchors of ABS-CBN's TV Patrol. She is also the anchor of the ANC program Headstart.
The broadcast journalist has been working on television for three decades now.
In an interview with Karmina Constantino on the KC After Hours podcast last year, Karen shared the life lessons from her parents that shaped her work ethic and mindset through the years.
"My dad told me noon nung papunta na ako ng college, 'Alam mo Karen, the only barrier to you and success is you. You cannot blame anybody. Kapag ikaw if you fail, you can't look at other things, you just have to look at what your role is in that,'" she recalled.
Karen went on: "Number 2, my mother told me: 'Karen wala akong mapapamana sa 'yong alahas, pera, lupa, pero if you finish your schooling, you can be anything you want to be but nothing will be served to you on a silver platter. So parang I knew I wasn't entitled to anything. I think that was the mental resilience that I had when I started my career which was in GMA 7 by the way, then eventually I moved to [ABS-CBN]," she remarked.