- : Nicholas Papp
- :
HighLevel – the all-in-one marketing automation and CRM platform – is on a global growth streak, serving over 100,000 customers and powering more than 2 million businesses worldwide. But in 2025, one country emerged as an unexpected powerhouse: HighLevel Philippines.
According to Alicia Pagano, HighLevel’s Director of Certifications, the Philippines now has more HighLevel Certified Admins than the USA. For many outside the community, this is a surprising statistic – but for those watching HL Pilipinas, it’s the natural result of a year marked by rapid community building, skill development, and strategic leadership.
At the center of this movement is Jay-Cee Tan, co-founder of SALIG AI and HL Accelerator. In February 2025, she and her team launched HL Pilipinas’ first official event in Metro Manila – a gathering that planted the seed for what would become the most active HighLevel community outside North America.
By August, HL Pilipinas was hosting Ang Unang Pagdiriwang at the Quezon City M.I.C.E. Center, co-organized with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The scale had grown, the guest list was global, and the message was clear: this was no longer just a meetup – it was a national platform for digital empowerment.
Table of Contents
The Philippines: A Digital Powerhouse in Southeast Asia
Located in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,600 islands with a population of approximately 118 million. It is one of the most digitally connected societies in the world, with internet penetration surpassing 73% and one of the highest average daily social media usage rates globally – Filipinos spend over 3 hours and 43 minutes a day on social platforms (DataReportal 2025).
This deep social media culture, combined with English fluency and a thriving outsourcing industry, has made the Philippines a prime environment for digital marketing, CRM adoption, and SaaS entrepreneurship. For HighLevel, this means a ready audience of professionals eager to learn, adopt, and monetize automation tools both locally and for global clients.
How HighLevel Philippines Took the Lead
The success of HighLevel Philippines can be traced to a few key factors:
• Community Mobilization: Jay-Cee Tan’s ability to rally freelancers, agency
• Career Pathways: The HighLevel Certification Program equips professionals with high-demand, monetizable skills.
• Government Partnership: Collaboration with DICT provided credibility and amplified reach.
• Cultural Connection: Events like Ang Unang Pagdiriwang blended professional training with cultural pride, making learning feel like a celebration.
For Jay-Cee Tan, her partners, and her entire team, the vision has always been bigger than just training people on software – it’s about building a career engine for Filipinos that connects them to the global economy.
Inside Ang Unang Pagdiriwang: Inspiration Meets Action
The August event’s energy was impossible to miss. The opening call set the tone:
“Hello Pilipinas, are you ready? Are you excited?”
From there, the message was clear – HighLevel isn’t just software, it’s a pathway to opportunity:
“All you need to do is learn the skill and get out there. Don’t let fear hold you back. Do you think Jay-Cee filled this room by hoping and praying? She took initiative – and I challenge you to do the same.” – Dakota Routh
Attendees were reminded that connecting with the HighLevel ecosystem means solving big problems for agencies and businesses – and being paid well to do it. For those new to the platform, this beginner’s guide to GoHighLevel is the perfect place to start.
Skills That Pay Off Immediately
HighLevel’s Certified Admin Program became a recurring theme throughout the day. Speakers stressed that unlike speculative investments, investing in your skills pays off almost immediately:
“You invest in crypto – no guarantee. You invest in real estate – it may take years. But once you invest in yourself, you learn a skill immediately, you can upgrade, and you can earn as soon as the next day.” – Chinkee Tan
For many attendees, certification isn’t just a credential – it’s a passport to serving agencies and clients worldwide, often without leaving home. Many new users start by claiming a 30-day free trial of HighLevel to build hands-on experience while training.
Beyond Certifications: Building SaaSpreneurs
The program also encouraged attendees to think like SaaSpreneurs – entrepreneurs building businesses on SaaS platforms like HighLevel.
Mario Aldayuz put it simply:
“The most important part is starting. One step forward. Faith in yourself. Belief that you can do it. That’s how you scale.”
Rupert Samuel challenged attendees to think beyond service delivery and begin innovating:
“Build an AI agent. Get it on the marketplace. Start supplying it to all of the agencies in Go HighLevel – and you just might win.”
These insights reflected the larger vision of Jay-Cee Tan – a Philippines not just using HighLevel, but contributing to its global ecosystem with new apps, tools, and services.
Government Support for a Digital Philippines
The event stood out because of its public-private collaboration. DICT officials spoke about harnessing “the unique strengths of the Filipino” to compete in the global digital economy.
The closing message tied the day’s momentum to a bigger mission:
“As we celebrate HL Pilipinas’ first anniversary, let’s reflect… What can I do to help build a truly digital Philippines? Let’s leap forward together. Let’s build a digitally empowered, inclusive future – starting here, starting now.”
Prefer to Watch
The highlights video gives a sense of the intense energy for HighLevel in the Philippines.
The #1 Certified Admin Nation
The reveal from Alicia Pagano – that the Philippines now leads the world in Certified Admins – underscored just how far HL Pilipinas has come.
In less than a year, HighLevel Philippines has gone from a new market entrant to a global leader, showing how quickly adoption can grow when the right mix of leadership, talent, and opportunity comes together.
Getting Started
Metric |
Philippines |
USA |
|---|---|---|
Certified Admins |
#1 globally |
#2 globally |
Time to Top Spot |
< 12 months |
- |
2025 Major Events |
2 national summits |
Multiple regional |
Gov’t Partnership |
Yes (DICT) |
No federal equivalent |
A Model for Global Expansion
The experience of HighLevel Philippines proves that emerging markets can drive adoption faster than established ones. The combination of:
• Community Mobilization: Jay-Cee Tan’s ability to rally freelancers, agency
• Thriving freelance and agency sector
• Local champions like Jay-Cee Tan who translate global tools into local success
• Cultural pride woven into professional events
…creates a growth engine capable of outpacing even HighLevel’s home market.
Looking Forward
If the first year of HL Pilipinas is any indication, the next will bring:
• Regional training hubs in the Philippines serving Southeast Asia
• More Filipino-developed apps in the HL Marketplace
• Exported talent – certified admins and developers serving clients worldwide
• And a lot of positive impact on the lives of many Filipinos
As one speaker closed the August event:
“You are trying to imprint goodness in one person that you are meeting every single day of your life.”
In doing so, HighLevel Philippines is leaving its mark on the global SaaS stage.
If you’re ready to join the movement, start by learning more about HighLevel and then take the next step with a 30-day free trial of HighLevel.
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