DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 March) – Davao Region topped with the most number of construction projects in Mindanao last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Based on the data from PSA, there were 11, 215 construction projects with approved building permits in the region last year. The highest was recorded in the fourth quarter when there were 3,488 construction projects.
The total figure increased compared to 2013 when there was 8,916 construction projects in the region.
Throughout Mindanao, Davao Region was followed by Region X with 7,411 and Region IX with 3,706. Caraga had 3,039 construction projects while Region XII generated 2,789. The least was Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with 172 construction projects.
Nationwide, Davao Region ranked fifth, next to Region VII (12,386), National Capital Region (12,674), Region III (15,172), and Region IV-A, (27,463). The latter is also known as CALABARZON, which stands for Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.
Based on the construction statistics report of PSA for the fourth quarter last year, Compostela Valley ranked third with 1,770 construction projects on having the most projects at the provincial level. The province was next to Bulacan and Cavite with 1,879 and 2,265 construction projects respectively.
“Number of construction projects in Compostela Valley recorded an increase of 498 percent, the highest among the top 10 provinces, from 296 projects registered during (the fourth quarter of 2013). This increase in number was attributed to the increase in the construction of duplex/quadruplex-type houses in the province,” PSA said in a statement.
This year, Maria Lourdes D. Lim, regional director of National Economic and Development Authority, said they projected “positive movement” in the construction and real estate-related economic activities as those are “expected to accelerate.”
She said the presence of the steel mill plant of Steel Asia Manufacturing Corp. in Davao City, which began to have its operations in the fourth quarter last year, could help increase construction activities in the region.
