The Anflo Group is pitching Mindanao as an investment-ready manufacturing base for global supply chains, pointing to the region’s resources, industrial infrastructure, and growing investor interest as it works to overcome lingering perceptions about the island.
Ricardo Lagdameo, president of Damosa Land Inc., said investors at a Davao-focused roadshow on Tuesday were already asking detailed questions about power, manpower, water, and available industrial land.
“They’re really curious about setting up shop in Davao,” Lagdameo said.
He acknowledged that a “negative stigma” surrounding Mindanao remains a barrier, particularly when travel restrictions discourage potential investors from visiting.
“We try to show what the reality is on the ground,” he said, arguing that problems in specific areas should not define the entire island.
The Anflo Group is backing the pitch with investments through Damosa Land’s Anflo Industrial Estate in Panabo City, which now hosts 24 operational locators. About 70 percent are engaged in export-oriented manufacturing.
Lagdameo said agriculture remains Mindanao’s strongest proposition for industrial investment. The island produces about 40 percent of the country’s agricultural products and has readily available raw materials for value-added manufacturing.
The bigger opportunity, he said, is to process more agricultural commodities locally rather than sell them fresh, allowing the region to generate higher-value products and exports.
Investor inquiries are also broadening into data centers and mining-related industries, he said.
Mindanao’s deposits of nickel, copper, gold, and other minerals could provide another opening under Pax Silica, particularly if more processing is done domestically rather than sending minerals overseas for further processing.
Lagdameo said locally processed minerals could feed higher-value manufacturing and supply chains centered in Luzon.
“We really support things that will create more value,” he said, while stressing that mining development must be undertaken responsibly.
For Lagdameo, the investment case for Mindanao is increasingly grounded in operating projects and actual investor inquiries rather than potential alone.
“Mindanao is ready for investment,” he said. “We can’t really talk about Mindanao as the land of promise…because it’s already happening.”
