As the skylines of Mindanao’s cities like Davao and Cagayan de Oro rise, and new growth is seen in other cities like General Santos, Iligan, Zamboanga, Tagum, and Butuan, thoughts are brought into the Mindanao economy, where the trillion-peso Northern Mindanao and Davao regional economies are pushing Mindanao’s total economy beyond the ₱3 trillion mark.

If you examine the breakdown of each Mindanao region’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP), you will see a large service economy. Nonetheless, agriculture remains significant, while manufacturing, other economic sectors bear watching in terms of how they can accelerate growth in Mindanao further.

The first is the digital economy. At $36 billion in gross merchandise value, according to a 2025 Google, Temasek, and Bain and Company report, our country’s digital economy has risen by 16 percent year on year. I believe this is a good sign that transactions are crossing regional borders and touching entrepreneurs in various places. In my travels to different Mindanao cities like Iligan, I have already seen how delivery and ride-sharing apps have brought opportunities to many local riders and drivers. These same convenient platforms create opportunities for local restaurants so that they can serve more customers. This helps boost local economic growth.

This phenomenon can facilitate inclusive growth for businesses outside our major urban centers.

Another sector is the creative economy. Estimated at ₱1.72 trillion in 2023, the products and services from this particular economic sector will bring opportunities for Mindanao residents. Being a very diverse and culturally significant island means that there are many cultural products in terms of art, fashion, food, and music that are appreciated outside Mindanao. These can generate stable business opportunities and employment for Mindanao residents, since they provide unique products that cannot be found elsewhere. In a visit to Lake Sebu in 2023, I saw how ethnically inspired fashions, restaurants, and cultural performances created livelihood opportunities stemming from sustainable tourism.

A third, and largely undiscovered, economic sector is the circular economy. This involves creating new products out of materials such as waste. These remanufacture many of our used paper and plastic, turning them into new products such as plastic sheets and blocks for furniture, as well as paper bags for packaging. The added benefit of this economic sector is the reduction of waste volume from our cities.

The events industry is also shaping up to be a big economic driver. New convention facilities taking shape in Davao are sure to lure even more national-level events. I recall how, in 2013, the opening of a large convention complex in Davao spurred the local tourism industry as many hotels were also built. General Santos and Cagayan de Oro cities are fast-growing convention hubs for national events.

Another element of the Mindanao economy worth noting is the presence of foreign chambers of commerce and foreign consulates, many of which took office on the island after 2016. These offices and organizations can play a significant role in promoting Mindanao as a destination for tourism and trade.

With these developments, I see the creative, circular, and digital economies pulling up Mindanao’s traditional economic sectors, pulling growth up further, and creating income and employment opportunities for the almost 30 million residents of the island.