Alex Eala, Zack Tabudlo Make it to Forbes 30 Under 30 List
Filipino superstars made it to the list for the arts, social change, and finance.
by JV Ordoñez
Published on May 28, 2026
Standout Filipinos in the fields of sports and music have made it to the coveted Forbes Asia 30 Under 30, which recognizes breakthrough individuals under the age of thirty from industries of influence.
The American magazine started the list in 2011, initially via one list of 30 exceptional people, before expanding it to separate ones of 30 individuals in 20 different categories. Forbes then published separate 30 Under 30 lists across several regions.
Forbes reporters and editors scoured through thousands of online submissions, industry sources, and list alumni for those fit for the distinction. All final listers should be 29 or younger as of December 31 last year.
Last year, the mega girl group and so-called "nation's girl group" BINI; VC Capital firm Kaya Founders managing director Raya Buensueso; and rising chess prodigy Daniel Quizon, among other Filipino advocates, landed on the 30 Under 30 list.
This year's company of rising entrepreneurs, innovators, and entertainers has been named, and these are the Filipinos featured in the high-profile list, which you can read in full here.
A class that represents 18 countries and territories, including India with 78 entries, China with 46, Australia with 38, and Japan with 32. Asia-Pacific nations, including Indonesia and Singapore, all have 18 entries each.
Alex Eala
Age: 20
The twenty-year-old Quezon City-born tennis prodigy Alex Eala is the first breakthrough Filipina on the list, understandably because of her meteoric rise in global tennis. scene.
Eala smashed her way into the Women's Tennis Association's Top 50 last year when she dazzled onlookers via historic upsets against two players ranked in the top 10, including former champions.
"Tennis can sometimes feel quiet and serious, so having that energy makes it special," according to the tennis star.
Her Cinderella run culminated in her collecting victories over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, the reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and the world No. 2 Iga Swiatek. The awe-inspiring run came to a halt after she lost to world No. 4 Jessica Pegula.
She was hell-bent on making her mark in the record books with a historic No. 19 ranking in March this year before settling on No. 44 in April.
She capped off her piping hot run last year by taking the women's singles title at the Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, a first for the Philippines since 1999. Eala also nabbed a doubles victory against beloved tennis veteran Venus Williams at Auckland's ASB Classic.
"A representative for Eala says she was the highest-earning Filipino tennis player of all time last year based on prize money totaling $876,000, while her endorsements, including from Nike, French sports equipment maker Babolat, and Philippine food conglomerate NutriAsia, exceeded $1 million and are expected to rise to $3 million this year," according to the Forbes report.
It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies last year as the Filipina tennis wunderkind suffered two first-round exits to Colombian Emiliana Arango in the French Open and to former world No. 1 Barbora Krejcikova in Wimbledon.
In 2022, she became the first Filipino tennis player to nab a junior US Open Grand Slam singles championship and earned a combined International Tennis Federation ranking of No. 2.
A look back at other notable Filipina tennis stars before Eala includes women's singles standouts Maricris Fernandez-Gentz, who peaked at 284th in the world in 1999; Francesca La'O, who was ranked 386th in 1994; and more recently, Filipina-German Katharina Lehnert, who was at 389th in 2013.
Other Southeast Asian athletes on the list are Singaporean twenty-one-year-old golfer Shannon Tan, Chinese hurdler Wu Yanni, and Australian sprinter Gout Gout.
Zack Tabudlo
Age: 24
Surging Filipino R&B/pop artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Zack Tabudlo was also touted by Forbes Asia as a breakthrough creative under 30.
His songs "Pano" and "Give Me Your Forever" made him a household name among modern Southeast Asian musicians, with data from streaming giant Spotify showing him as the most-streamed Philippine artist of 2022.
Tabudlo started out as a contestant on The Voice Kids in 2014 and even returned as a coach on The Voice Kids. last year with his mentee Sofia Mallares winning it all.
The twenty-four-year-old musician, who now leans toward making guitar-centric music reminiscent of savants Dijon, Mk.gee, and even Justin Bieber, is currently signed with Mercury Records under the Universal Music Group.
There isn't a lack of talent coming out of the Southeast Asian region, as Indonesian girl group signed by 88rising, No Na, also made it to the list as they racked up more than 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Singaporean alt-pop star Regina Song also got a shout-out with more than 90 million streams on Spotify, and another Singaporean artist, Iman Fandi, is getting recognition for tracks like "Tip Toes" and anticipation for her debut indie EP later this year.
Other Filipinos Who Made it to the List
Eala and Tabudlo are also joined by eight other Filipino innovators such as tech sector stars BayaniChain Tech co-founders Raphael Sevilla and Brandon Angelo Wong, Amico Innovations co-founder Kharl Christian Yeung, and GoRocky co-founders Kiyanusch Braun and Martin Joaquin Palaña. Fan Connection SEA founders Paulina Dizon and Adrian Jumangit were other retail and e-commerce players from Manila who were given the nod for their merchandise licensing bookings and fan events that culminated in a collaboration between K-Pop massive group BTS and local fashion brand Penshoppe.
BayaniChain Tech crafts blockchain systems for public and private stakeholders to boost transparency mechanisms and to cut avenues for corruption. The enterprise has worked with the Department of Budget and Management and has spearheaded efforts to boost legislative moves to use the blockchain to protect public funds.
GoRocky is a Filipino startup focused on men’s health with the ultimate goal to empower men to seek treatment for chronic conditions like erectile dysfunction, hair loss, and skin issues.
“The 11th edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list spotlights a fresh wave of young minds from across the Asia Pacific, who continue to innovate and disrupt their industries at a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping our daily lives," according to Forbes Asia editorial director Rana Wehbe Watson.
Esquire PH's resident music scribe, wristwatch disciple, and essayist fluent in niche internet subcultures and Philippine politics.
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