KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 8 October) — Mindanao’s investment climate has significantly improved since the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014 and the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2019, and was given a boost with the recent visit of 25 ambassadors from the country’s diplomatic corps. The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) invited the diplomats to a Mindanao investment, tourism, and socio-cultural exposure in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) on September 26 to 29, to help bring in investors to further spur its economy and provide more jobs for the people. The visit was historic as it was the largest delegation of diplomats to have come to the region, comprising the provinces of South Cotabato, (North) Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani, and General Santos City. Twenty-five diplomats set foot in General Santos City, the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines,” in late September and were treated to a feast of tuna. The tuna industry has been one of the backbones of the city’s economy, with six canneries, fishing companies, and processors, and other downstream industries providing thousands of jobs. The delegation was composed of diplomats from Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, the European Union Delegation to the Philippines, France, Germany, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. Since the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014, no major armed conflict has occurred in Mindanao. Both domestic and foreign investors shied away from pouring in their money due to the perception that the entire Mindanao — comprising six regions, 28 provinces, 33 cities, and 430 towns — was on fire with the war that raged on in central and western parts of the island since the 1970s. According to the “Did You Know: Cost of War in Mindanao” published on the website of the Cotabato City-based Institute for Autonomy and Governance in April 2015, the country incurred economic losses amounting to a staggering P640 billion or P20 billion per year from 1970 to 2001 in terms of damages to businesses and properties, potential investments, and businesses in the region. The report came out a year after the GPH and the MILF signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) on March 27, 2014, after 17 years of peace negotiations. The peace agreement in 2014 with the MILF and the earlier peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front in 1976 and 1996 ended a bloody armed conflict that claimed, as of the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF, at least 120,000 persons – combatants and civilians. With the establishment of the BARMM, investors’ confidence in Mindanao gradually increased. The negative perceptions on the island slowly changed as media reports on images of war gave way to stories of peace and progress. From 2019 to 2023, the Board of Investments-approved projects totaled P271.6 billion in the five regions of Mindanao, except BARMM, which has its own Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BBOI), according to the “Mindanao in Figures 2024,” a database published by the MinDA. Region 11 (Davao region) was the top investment destination in Mindanao with projects worth P120 billion, followed by Region 12 (Soccsksargen) at P68.8 billion, Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) at P67.3 billion, Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) at P8.6 billion, and Region 13 (Caraga) at P6.8 billion. Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua cited “good governance and the stable peace and order condition” for the increased investors’ confidence in the region, stressing that “this is a strong sign that the Bangsamoro region is now being seen as a viable and trusted investment destination.” In a statement, Macacua said, “With moral governance as our foundation, we are proving that peace and development can go hand in hand. This milestone is part of our economic jihad—a peaceful struggle to uplift the lives of our people through honest governance and sustainable progress.” Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao welcomed the diplomats to General Santos City on September 26, highlighting the tuna industry’s contribution to the city and its people in her bid to push the area as a destination for investors and tourists. The envoys toured the fish port complex, where they saw freshly-caught large mature tuna bound for foreign and domestic markets. South Africa Ambassador Bartinah Ntombizodwa Radebe-Netshitenzhe responded positively as she commended the DFA and MinDA for organizing the tour and extending warm hospitality to the group. MinDA and the DFA collaborated to expose the ambassadors to investment, tourism, and socio-cultural cooperation opportunities outside the capital. DFA Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy Arvin de Leon emphasized that visiting Mindanao reflects the “true essence of diplomacy.” De Leon said, “We conceived this familiarization tour because, in our own travels abroad, we realized how important it is to truly know a place. In the same way, we want the ambassadors to experience Mindanao firsthand, to move past perceptions, and to see its real opportunities in business, tourism, trade, and culture. Through this, we hope to inspire deeper cooperation and partnerships.”
