PEZA, MinDA unite to accelerate growth of Mindanao ecozones
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 3 March) – Two government agencies have agreed to ramp up Mindanao’s investment atmosphere by further harnessing the potential of economic zones located in the island.
Nearly 10 percent or 42 of the country’s 436 operating ecozones are registered by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in the southern Philippines.
Tereso Panga, PEZA director general, said the agency is keen on making Mindanao’s investment footprint more attractive by developing and expanding ecozones in the area.
PEZA is collaborating with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), headed by Secretary Leo Tereso Magno, to accelerate the development of ecozones in priority areas identified under the Mindanao Development Corridors program.
The MDC aims to strengthen inter-regional connectivity, infrastructures and logistics for an integrated and globally-competitive Mindanao, which comprises six regions.
The two government agencies formalized their collaboration through a memorandum of agreement inked last February 24.
In a statement, Panga noted that by aligning ecozone expansion with regional development strategies, the partnership “ensures that investments translate into sustained economic opportunities for Mindanao communities.”
Under the MOU, both agencies will provide technical support, align annual planning and investment promotion initiatives, and jointly undertake business matching and promotional activities to attract both domestic and foreign investors.
The collaboration also reinforces public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a key strategy in driving inclusive growth, with economic zones serving as critical platforms for industrialization, job creation, and competitiveness, according to Panga.
“Expanding and diversifying ecozone development in Mindanao is central to PEZA’s mandate. With 42 of the country’s 436 operating economic zones already located in the region, we see significant potential to further strengthen Mindanao’s investment footprint,” Panga said.
Through closer collaboration with MinDA and the local government units, PEZA will provide guidance on investment facilitation, ecozone registration, and incentive mechanisms to accelerate project implementation and ensure that opportunities translate into real economic gains, he added.
For his part, Magno reaffirmed MinDA’s commitment to working closely with LGUs, partner agencies, and private investors in promoting existing economic zones, as well as identifying and developing new ecozones aligned with the Mindanao Development Corridors (MDC) framework, to convert strategic opportunities into tangible economic gains and advance the shared mission of Building a Better Mindanao.
The 42 operating ecozones in Mindanao hosts at least 107 registered business enterprises, PEZA data showed.
The Davao region (Region XI) houses majority of the ecozones in Mindanao at 19, hosting 55 locators that employ at least 50,000 individuals and generate over $275 million in export revenue from January to June 2025, it added.
Among the flagship ecozones in the Davao Region are the Anflo Industrial Estate (AIE) in Panabo City and the Metro Davao Economic Zone in Digos City.
The other major ecozones in Mindanao are the Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental, the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority in Zamboanga del Sur, and the Kamanga Agro-Industrial Economic Zone in Sarangani.
Locators in PEZA-recognized ecozones enjoy fiscal incentives such as income tax holidays and non-fiscal incentives such as long-term land lease, aside from trade benefits such as duty-free importation, among others. (Bong S. Sarmiento/MindaNews)
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