Insider Spotlight
Damosa Land Inc.’s Anflo Industrial Estate (AIE) in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, offers a window into that shift. The estate has drawn manufacturers and logistics companies that need proximity to raw materials, infrastructure and international supply chains.
‘Move up the value chain’
Industrial estates are an often-overlooked economic engine, providing the infrastructure that connects raw materials and workers with processing, manufacturing, logistics and global markets.
“One of the challenges that we have as a country is that we do a lot of exports but we produce a lot of raw material … but we do so little processing. Our goal was really to try to help companies move up that value chain,” Damosa Land Inc. president Ricardo Floirendo Lagdameo said during the media luncheon.
AIE has attracted 24 operational locators, 70 percent of which are engaged in export-oriented manufacturing. About P8.5 billion has been invested by Damosa Land and its locators, according to Lagdameo.
He also added that AIE offers easy port access that is just 300 meters away and plug-and-play operations, with the infrastructure and essential services businesses need already provided within the industrial estate.
Expanding infrastructure
Mindanao combines agricultural supply chains and raw materials with skilled labor and expanding infrastructure. At AIE, Davao Light’s first 10 MVA substation has been inaugurated, while another 33 MVA is planned in a second phase. Manila Water Philippine Ventures’ treatment plant targets 1,300 cubic meters of treated water daily.
Lagdameo said power costs are about 20 to 30 percent cheaper in its franchise area, while minimum wages are about 10 percent lower compared with Calabarzon.
Manufacturing footprint
“Anflo Industrial Estate is positioned to provide long-term growth potential while capitalizing on Mindanao’s unique economic strengths. As companies continue to diversify their manufacturing footprint, we see growing opportunities for the region to become an integral part of global value chains,” Lagdameo said.
HEAD Sport demonstrates the estate’s ability to support specialized manufacturing. It operates what Damosa Land describes as the world’s largest tennis ball manufacturing facility, producing 3 million dozen tennis balls annually for international markets.
Its Panabo operation taps skilled workers, good-quality raw materials and Mindanao’s position within global supply chains.
Novococonut Inc.’s presence at AIE demonstrates how Mindanao’s agricultural advantages can support globally competitive value-added manufacturing. Novococonut leverages the region’s strong coconut supply chain to produce export-ready products for international markets.
The company’s investment draws focus to the importance of agro-processing in fostering economic growth. This creates opportunities to transform locally sourced agricultural commodities into higher-value products, while strengthening linkages between local farmers, suppliers, and global economies at the same time.
The missing link
GMAC Logitech Refrigeration Corp., developed through a partnership between Glacier Megafridge Inc. and AC Logistics, supplies cold-chain infrastructure crucial to food, agriculture and export businesses.
Its nearly 12,000-pallet-position facility is described as Mindanao’s largest and most advanced cold-storage facility, helping preserve products and move temperature-sensitive goods to domestic and overseas markets.
“Having good cold storage is really one of the missing pieces to having a very robust agricultural sector,” Lagdameo added.
Growth momentum
Mindanao’s economy grew 4.69 percent in 2025, faster than the Philippines’ 4.40 percent expansion, while Davao Region’s economy reached P1.14 trillion.
“As Mindanao continues to gain momentum as an investment destination, AIE is positioned to become an increasingly important driver of export-led industrial synergy in the region. By connecting global companies with Mindanao’s resources, talent, and infrastructure, the estate showcases the potential of regional industrial development to forward economic progress,” Lagdameo added. —Vanessa Hidalgo | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
