MINDANAO’S economic growth took center stage in Tagum City on August 29, 2025, as business leaders, policymakers, and innovators gathered for the 34th Mindanao Business Conference, underscoring the region’s push to position itself as a hub for innovation, trade, and sustainability. Against growing investments, infrastructure expansion, and SME digitalization, Davao del Norte 1st District Representative De Carlo “Oyo” L. Uy called for stronger public-private partnerships and policies to secure Mindanao’s role in national growth. “The progress of Mindanao depends on innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity. These themes are not mere abstract concepts but real goals that we in Congress are working to realize through laws that expand digital infrastructure and empower MSMEs in every corner of the country,” Uy said, aligning his message with the conference’s agenda of strengthening regional connectivity, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship. Uy commended startups showcased at the WEN Ignite Demo Day as “trailblazers of the new economy” and highlighted the private sector’s critical role in driving economic growth. “The government must be the enabler, the private sector the driver, and our communities the beneficiaries of growth. That, to me, is the real spirit of Bayanihan in business.” The lawmaker’s remarks come at a time of heightened economic activity across Mindanao, with the Davao Region recording a 96.9 percent employment rate, P27.13 billion in registered investments, and P29.5 billion in tourism receipts in 2024. Initiatives like the Mindanao Trade Show Series, Tech Week PH 2025, and the Franchise Negosyo Expo have accelerated opportunities for SMEs, giving local entrepreneurs access to digital tools, new markets, and international investors. MinDA’s first-ever MSME Forum in August further cemented a unified roadmap to strengthen innovation, financing, and digital adoption in the region. The agency also partnered with Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao–ASU to nurture globally competitive Mindanaoan entrepreneurs, signaling a shift toward tech-driven growth. Uy emphasized his plan to develop Davao del Norte’s 1st District into a growth hub for agribusiness, logistics, and technology-driven industries, pledging to bring the voices of Mindanaoan entrepreneurs to Congress: “I reaffirm my commitment to bring your voices to the halls of Congress and to work for policies that will secure Mindanao’s rightful place in our nation’s progress. It is my only hope that after today, this gathering has inspired more collaboration, more innovation, and more milestones for the 1st District of Davao del Norte and for the whole of Mindanao.”
