MinDA signs pact with foreign chambers to connect investors with Mindanao firms

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with several foreign chambers of commerce to connect international investors with enterprises across Mindanao, according to Mindanao Times.

MinDA chairperson Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno said the agreement came out of the two-day Mindanao Development Forum (MDF) 2026. He described it as a step toward continuing cooperation among government, the private sector and international business communities. "The development forum is not just about shared ideas; it is about partnerships that we build and the actions that we commit to take together," Magno said.

Signatories from the business groups included Antonio Peralta, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines–Southern Mindanao; Peter Cowles, president of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines in Mindanao; Jocelyn Romero, third vice president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; and Tesui Kitae of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Mindanao.

The MOU lays out a framework for investment promotion, investor referrals, business matching, trade linkages, and business-to-business and business-to-government engagements. It also creates a MinDA–Mindanao Foreign Chambers Coordination Mechanism, which will monitor investment leads, set priority activities, arrange introductions among stakeholders and keep the collaboration going after the forum.

Under the deal, the foreign chambers will market Mindanao's investment opportunities through their international networks, link the region with prospective investors and share market insights. MinDA will handle investor referrals, provide investment information, coordinate with project proponents and government partners, and follow up on business leads.

The parties plan to hold investment forums, business missions, project pitching sessions, investor briefings and an investment and partnership marketplace. Priority sectors are agribusiness, infrastructure, renewable energy, manufacturing, tourism, logistics and economic zones.

MinDA Executive Director Undersecretary Janet M. Lopoz said the partnership is expected to result in concrete projects. "Let us make sure that what we have agreed on, signed, and committed to here will really turn into actual projects on the ground," she said.

According to the report, Mindanao enterprises, farmers' organizations, micro, small and medium enterprises, and project proponents are expected to gain access to international markets, investors, technical expertise and business networks through the arrangement.