WE ALL know that the Malayan Colleges Mindanao of Mapua Institute of Technology along McArthur Highway in Matina, Davao City is just about to open, its buildings already being furnished and finishing touches being done.

The Lyceum University of the Philippines is building a senior high school and college in an eight-hectare lot along Diversion Road just across the Jose Maria College also in Davao City.

University of the Philippines will be putting up a Professional Schools and Agriculture and Environment Campus in a 3.1 hectare donated lot in Panabo City.

While Cebu Landmasters Inc. will be including a campus of the De La Salle University in its 20-hectare development project in Matina, Davao City.

Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas will have its groundbreaking on April 20, 2018, this time in General Santos City.

We know that this will not be the last, and we know that there will be other cities that will be targeted by long-established institutions as the presidency of former Davao City mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte places Mindanao right in the center of both local and international attention.

The land we have all prospered in but has been swept aside by many an administration, despite the fact that it produces most of the country's agricultural products.

With the attention focused on Mindanao, the misconception about the island region has been finally corrected and investors realized they have long been missing out on the opportunities and potentials this second largest island of the country that hosts the country's largest city. So now, they are coming in droves.

This only bodes well for our children who will no longer have to go far to get the education they have long dreamed of. This bodes well for the institutions that have been here long before these newcomers, their familiarity with the landscape and the needs of the island should place them at an advantage. But only if they have indeed familiarized themselves.

Bottomline, there will be competition, stiff, and quality and cost will be the primary considerations. As in all competitive fields, victory is for those who continue to improve and offer the better deal. Indeed, this bodes well for our children and the future.