MINDANAO is positioning itself to capture a bigger share of new investments after the Davao Region posted 5.1 percent economic growth in 2025, making it the largest economy in Mindanao and the country’s fifth-largest regional economy.
Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go said the region’s growth comes as the national government pursues reforms to make the Philippines more competitive and attract more private-sector investments.
Speaking at the Philippine Economic Briefing in Davao City, Go cited the country’s recent upgrade to upper-middle-income status after four decades in the lower-middle-income category.
He also pointed to reforms such as the CREATE MORE Act, the new PPP Code, longer land leases, green lanes for strategic investments, right-of-way reforms, capital market reforms, and the Enhanced Mining Fiscal Regime Act.
“The big, bold reforms we are pursuing, anchored on our solid long-term economic fundamentals,” Go said, are intended to “inspire optimism, encourage greater investment, and move forward with confidence.”
Investment promotion agencies and the Board of Investments approved a combined ₱1.9 trillion in investments in 2024 and 2025, reflecting continued investor interest in the Philippines.
For Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chairperson and Secretary Leo Tereso Magno, the national investment drive presents an opportunity for Mindanao to build on its economic strengths and develop higher-value industries.
Magno cited the 2026 Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP) as a framework for turning Mindanao’s resources and economic potential into projects that can create jobs, expand industries, and attract new capital.
“The SIPP is not just a list of activities. It is a blueprint for transformation that our people and communities deserve,” Magno said.
He said Mindanao has the resource base, strategic location, energy potential, growing infrastructure, and emerging industries needed to turn investment priorities into scalable projects.
“We, in MinDA, see this as a strategic opportunity to move from resource advantage to value-added, competitive, and future-ready industries,” he said.
Among the opportunities are expanding agro-processing and other value-added industries and developing downstream industries using the region’s critical mineral resources, particularly as global demand rises for materials supporting the clean-energy transition.
The investment push also comes as the Philippines expands access to international markets through existing bilateral and ASEAN trade agreements while pursuing additional free-trade arrangements.
For Mindanao, these developments could help strengthen its role as an investment destination by linking its natural resources, agricultural base, infrastructure, and emerging industries to growing domestic and global demand. PR
