The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on February 24, 2026, to strengthen collaboration in ecozone development, fast-track priority projects, and open wider investment opportunities across Mindanao.
MinDA chairperson, Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno, emphasized that the agreement will elevate Mindanao's investment profile by integrating ecozone development with regional development corridors, generating long-term socioeconomic benefits for communities.
"MinDA continues to promote PPPs, economic zone development, and investment facilitation as core strategies for inclusive growth," Magno said, reaffirming the agency's strategic priorities in line with national development goals.
"The agency is working with LGUs, partner agencies, and private investors to accelerate project implementation and investment conversion," Magno added, underscoring MinDA's commitment to turning planned opportunities into tangible results.
The Memorandum of Understanding formalizes MinDA and Peza's collaboration to promote investments, develop ecozones across strategic Mindanao locations under the Mindanao Development Corridors (MDC) Program, and strengthen coordinated planning, business matching, and promotional activities for domestic and foreign investors.
During the discussions, economic zones were highlighted as critical drivers of industrialization, job creation, and competitiveness in Mindanao, with about 90 percent of the 436 operating zones nationwide led by the private sector and supported by the government.
Peza director General Tereso O. Panga is committed to leading a workshop, together with MinDA and invited local government units, to equip them with critical guidance on investment promotion, facilitation, registration, and incentive mechanisms that will strengthen local capacities for economic growth.
Also present during the MOU Signing were Dinagat Governor Nilo Demerey Jr., Peza acting deputy director general Emmanuel Cortero, and Ecozone Development Manager Ludwig Daza.
MinDA's ongoing efforts to advance Mindanao's socio-economic development focus on strengthening coordination with partner agencies and LGUs, finalizing key agreements, including pending MOUs, and enhancing stakeholders' understanding of public-private partnership modalities to accelerate inclusive growth.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s administration has underscored the strategic importance of economic zones as catalysts for national growth, including directives to expand ecozone designations nationwide to attract investments and create jobs across regions.
Aligned with the Marcos administration's initiatives to enhance infrastructure, streamline investment facilitation, and strengthen digital and transport connectivity, the MOU ensures Mindanao communities benefit from sustainable economic growth.
The collaboration also reflects President Marcos' emphasis on public-private partnerships, capacity building, and interagency coordination, operationalized through MinDA and Peza's joint efforts to expand Mindanao's investment and ecozone landscape.
The MOU signing marks a strategic boost for Mindanao, showcasing the MinDA-Peza
partnership in driving sustainable investment, regional competitiveness, and inclusive growth under the mission of Building a Better Mindanao. MINDA PR