DAVAO Region’s business climate is obviously in good condition right now. The development in the region is clear as day with the entry of different investors.
The most recent development in the region in terms of investment is Packwell, Inc., which will soon set up a facility at the Anflo Industrial Estate (AIE) in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
The Japanese manufacturing firm entered into an agreement with Damosa Land, Inc. (DLI), operator and developer of AIE, to put up a manufacturing plant at the industrial park. Packwell is in the business of designing, manufacturing, and selling of paper packaging containers.
The entry of the manufacturing firm is expected to provide more jobs to those living in the region.
Packwell, Inc. is not the only company investing in Davao Region. We are also seeing some Filipino companies, mostly real estate firms that are also doing business here. Locally, we are also seeing the opening of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
There are a lot of factors that make a province, city, or town business friendly. Whether it is the ease of doing business, incentives, operational cost, and proximity to ports, these play part in why business is currently good in Davao Region. President Rodrigo Duterte coming from Davao City may have also played part in why business is good here.
Martial Law in Mindanao is also benefitting the local economy. National Economic and Development Authority (Neda)-Davao director Maria Lourdes Lim said there has been a notable deceleration of armed encounters and atrocities in the region since the declaration, which may inhibit investors to pursue their objectives.
“By these indicators alone, we could say that martial law has a positive effect on our overall business environment in the region, attracting more tourists. By the way, there is a notable increase of tourists in the region in 2018 also through the effort of our local government units (LGUs) to attract more tourists in festivals and Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) [activities],” Lim said.
Business is currently good in Davao Region, evident with the recent developments in region.
Development also has its trade-offs. Worsening traffic situation, possible environmental degradation, and increasing population are just among these trade-offs.
However, with proper planning by the various local government unit they may strike a balance between development and ensuring that the province, city, or town are still livable places.