In recognition of its long and fruitful partnership with Davao, the Aboitiz Group was recently invited to take part in the sixth Davao Investment Conference (Davao ICon) 2021. Davao ICon is Mindanao's premiere business conference and zeroes in on investment trends in Davao City and the greater Davao Region. This year, the event highlights opportunities in agribusiness, real estate, manufacturing, and tourism.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz delivered a message on Day 2 of the conference, taking the opportunity to share how Davao has been a key proofpoint for the Group's purpose to drive change for a better world.

“Davao and Mindanao have always been very close to the Aboitiz's hearts and a core region of our operations,” affirmed Aboitiz Group President and CEO Sabin M. Aboitiz. “Our strong presence and interest in the Davao Region is a clear indication of the promising investment opportunities that have always existed here and where we intend to allocate more capital.”

Moreover, SMA praised the tireless effort of the local government in transforming Davao into an enabling environment that is conducive for businesses to thrive:

“Davao and its neighbors are stronger today because of the commendable efforts of the government in building essential infrastructure, reducing crime, and instability, and effectively marketing the region as a safe and attractive destination for tourists and investors alike.”

Anchoring his message towards Davao ICon 2021’s theme “stronger today, stronger tomorrow,” SMA highlighted the importance of public-private sector partnerships in maintaining the region’s forward momentum. Noting the need for the government to implement “highly attractive and aggressive policies” to entice more investors to Mindanao.

“If we are too passive about incentivizing investments, we run the risk of being overtaken by our competitors in the Asia-Pacific region who are doing everything they can to drive investors in their direction,” SMA warned. “Conversely, if we make it as easy as possible for our own Philippine companies to move into Mindanao, then the possibilities for a stronger tomorrow are endless.”

It is truly an exciting time for this region of our archipelago and I'm very proud of what the leaders of Davao have done to bring it to this point of a stronger today. Now it's time to take the next bold step towards the future.

With key industry leaders from Davao and the greater Mindanao area present, Aboitiz Group Mindanao Adviser and Davao native Art Milan issued a rallying call at the close of the event inviting stakeholders to sustain the region’s growth and expansion through the One Mindanao Manifesto.

“The captains of different Philippine industries have spoken about the rich opportunities that make the region very attractive for future investments. But there are still many bottlenecks that need to be worked out,” Milan said. “The different Chambers in Mindanao share this optimism. Mindanao in the past years has been growing at an impressive rate even surpassing the national average."

The Aboitiz Group's economic activities in the Davao Region goes back to its acquisition of Davao Light and Power in 1946. Since then, the company has ventured into major investments including power generation through Hedcor and Therma South. The most recent one is Apo Agua Infrastructura's bulk water supply project, which, once in operation, will provide 300 million liters per day of clean water to the Davaoeños.