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BUTUAN CITY – Assessing Mindanao’s development status must be based on accurate data, cultural sensitivity, and an understanding of the region’s complexities, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chair Leo Tereso Magno said. “Mindanao is home to 26 million Filipinos and spans over 102,021.92 square kilometers, making it a crucial pillar of national development,” Magno said. Mindanao devotes one-third of its land area to agriculture, supplies over 40 percent of the country’s food requirements, and contributes more than 30 percent to the national food trade. Its Human Development Index (HDI) reached 0.68 in 2022, slightly below the national average of 0.71 but higher than the aggregate in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Over the past five years, every region in Mindanao, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, has shown consistent improvement in HDI, reflecting progress in health, education, and economic opportunities. “These gains did not happen by chance. The passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and sustained peace-building efforts have paved the way for a more stable, self-reliant, and empowered Mindanao,” the MinDA chief said. Mindanao is vital to national economic resilience, with nearly 90 percent of its food production exported to other parts of the country. Magno urged Filipinos, especially those with influential platforms, to base their assessments on facts rather than generalizations. “Mindanao is not a monolith of struggle. It is a land of opportunity, progress, and unwavering hope,” he said. “Let us move forward together, as one nation, with fairness, context, and empathy guiding our discourse.”
