Balibago Waterworks named among Fortune’s top 100 best firms to work for in SEA

Text by Teddy Calilung 

Great Place To Work® and Fortune Asia have named Balibago Waterworks one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For™ Southeast Asia (SEA) for 2025.

Ranking No. 24 and the only utility company in the entire SEA region to make the list, Balibago Waterworks stands out among the six Philippines-based companies included in the elite Fortune 100. The Gokongwei-led Robinsons Hotels and Resorts ranked 35th; Universal Robina Corp., 44th; property tycoon Andrew Tan’s Megaworld, 90th; business service provider Infinit-O, 93rd; and PeoplePartners, 96th.

Evelyn Kwek, managing director of Great Place To Work ASEAN & ANZ, has congratulated the top 100 companies for their exceptional work culture.

“These organizations have earned this recognition through the trust and care they’ve built with their people. Across the region’s rich diversity, they share one thing in common – a deep commitment to creating workplaces where every employee feels valued, inspired, and empowered to do their best work. Their success shows that when trust thrives, innovation flourishes, and businesses grow in ways that uplift both people and communities,” Kwek said.

The Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For™ Southeast Asia list is the gold standard for employee experience in the region, based on Great Place To Work’s internationally recognized Trust Index™ Survey.

Companies are assessed using confidential employee feedback and validated HR data to ensure only those with consistently strong workplace cultures earn a place on the list.

Eligibility requires companies to have at least 200 employees and to be represented on at least one national Best Workplaces™ list in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam.

Balibago Waterworks President Criselle Alejandro said this milestone affirms the company’s credo of creating an environment where employees are empowered to excel, grow and in turn contribute to life-changing water service for more than 350,000 customers nationwide.

“Balibago Waterworks is the best company to work for because we believe that within every employee there is a star that is waiting to shine. We are the best company to work for because we don’t just view our employees by their ability to contribute value to the business but rather, we see the company as a playground for employees to discover the immense potential that lies inside them. We believe that through their work with our company, employees are able to unlock their hidden skills and strengthen their talents,” Alejandro said.

She added that earning a spot on the list is an indicator of high levels of trust across the organization, with more employees reporting a consistently positive experience at work.

For three consecutive years now, Balibago Waterworks holds a Great Place To Work-Certified™ status. Last March, the company placed No. 8 Best Places To Work in the Philippines – Large Category. (Text and photos courtesy of Balibago Waterworks System, Inc. and AGOS magazine)