KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 03 May) – Investments in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) reached P5.1 billion in April, surpassing last year’s P5 billion total registered investments across the region, latest data from the Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BBOI) showed.
Mohamad Omar Pasigan, BBOI chair, said the board approved the registration of six investments worth P2.7 billion on April 30, at the 3rd Regular Board Meeting for 2026.
In a statement, he attributed the achievement to the growing investor confidence in BARMM “as a rising hub for sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact investments.”
“The consistent growth in approved investments reflects the business community’s trust in the Bangsamoro government’s commitment to transparency, ease of doing business, and investor protection,” he said.
“We are not just counting investments—we are counting the jobs and livelihood opportunities that reach every family across our provinces,” he added.
The newly approved projects include a health and wellness facility and tourism-related facilities in the “region capital city” with a total investment of ₱177 million, expected to create 69 jobs; a ₱167 million project in a mainland province projected to generate 113 jobs; a ₱58 million project in another mainland province expected to create 143 jobs; and a ₱2.2 billion investment project in an island province expected to generate 1,330 jobs.
The new investments listed are expected to generate at least 1,655 jobs.
The BBOI’s press release mentioned only four out of the supposed six investments. It also did not name the investors and did not indicate exactly what these investments are and where their locations are, except “region capital city” which refers to Cotabato City.
In the first quarter of 2026, the BARMM registered investments worth P2.4 billion, projected to generate 930 jobs in various parts of the region.
The consistent and accelerating growth in approved investments highlights BARMM’s sustained commitment to enhancing its investment climate, expanding economic opportunities for its people, and advancing long-term development strategies, Pasigan said.
Pasigan noted that in just four months, the region has exceeded its full year target of attracting new investments, which he earlier pegged at P3.2 billion.
The Bangsamoro region comprises the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur in mainland Mindanao and the island-provinces of Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, and the cities of Marawi, Lamitan and Cotabato, the seat of government of BARMM.
The BBOI, Pasigan vowed, will continue to attract investments that align with the region’s “Mas Matatag na Bangsamoro development goals” and what they refer to as “economic jihad (struggle) with moral governance values.”
The Mas Matatag na Bangsamoro (Much stronger Bangsamoro) is the governance slogan of incumbent interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua while the moral governance principle was espoused by former Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim.
Pasigan said Macacua has directed the intensive promotion of the investment potentials of the Bangsamoro region not just to local but foreign investors as well, and this is being executed through the BBOI’s “economic jihad,” the BARMM government’s campaign to boost investments, create jobs, and foster self-reliance
Through the “economic jihad,” Pasigan said they are promoting strategic investments that create jobs, strengthen industries, and uplift the lives of the Bangsamoro people while building a more resilient and prosperous regional economy. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
