Acknowledgements

The Bangsamoro Investment Roadmap Development (BIRD) 2026–2035 has been shaped by analytical work, institutional knowledge, technical exchange and the perspectives of people and organisations working across the Bangsamoro economy. The roadmap is offered as a shared planning resource: its value depends on the continued stewardship, validation and implementation of the institutions and communities it is intended to serve.

Appreciation is extended to the leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT) for providing the institutional setting for investment strategy and coordination. Particular recognition is due to the Bureau of Investments team for its investment-facilitation mandate, working knowledge of the investor environment and continued engagement with the roadmap’s strategic and operational questions.

The work also acknowledges the contributions of officials, technical personnel and practitioners across BARMM ministries, offices and agencies; provincial, city and municipal local government executives and teams; national government agencies; statistical and planning institutions; chambers of commerce, business associations, investors and entrepreneurs; MSMEs and producer organisations; development agencies and financing partners; universities, researchers and training institutions; civil society organisations; and community representatives. Their respective perspectives help connect regional ambition with the practical realities of service delivery, enterprise development, infrastructure, finance, market access, environmental stewardship and inclusive growth.

Gratitude is extended to participants in the structured workshops and consultations convened at regional, provincial, local and sectoral levels. Their discussions and critical reflections have helped test assumptions, surface implementation barriers and highlight the interdependencies that a systems-led roadmap must address. The contribution of the BIRD Validation Survey participants is also acknowledged. The survey provides diagnostic and validation evidence; it is not treated as a population-representative vote or a replacement for authoritative administrative and statistical baselines.

Engr. Addie T. Unsi is recognised for contributing as a facilitator and technical contributor to the roadmap process, helping structure dialogue and support the integration of stakeholder perspectives. The report’s preparation and systems architecture were led by Alvin M. Silva, MDM, consultant and systems architect. These acknowledgements recognise meaningful participation without implying that every individual or institution endorses each finding, target or recommendation.

The roadmap is strongest when regional leadership, local knowledge, responsible investment and community aspirations are brought together through transparent decisions, shared learning and sustained implementation.

Messages

Message from Chief Minister of BARMM

Office of the Chief Minister

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm. The Bangsamoro Investment Roadmap Development (BIRD) 2026–2035 presents a shared direction for translating the gains of peace and autonomy into dignified livelihoods and lasting economic opportunity. Guided by the values of amanah (trust), adl (justice) and stewardship, development must be judged not only by the capital attracted, but by the lives strengthened and the opportunities opened to our people.

Our provinces, island communities and cities possess young talent, productive land and seas, cultural knowledge and a strategic position within wider regional markets. These strengths can generate broader prosperity when linked to reliable infrastructure, capable institutions, responsible investment, access to finance and fair opportunities for local enterprises.

Such a task calls for cooperation across government, local communities, national institutions, the private sector and development partners. The roadmap offers a common framework, while the choices and priorities of the Bangsamoro people must remain central to implementation. May our collective effort serve the public good, protect the trust placed in our institutions and contribute to a peaceful, resilient and prosperous Bangsamoro.

Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua
Chief Minister, BARMM

Messages

Message from the Minister, MTIT

Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT)

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

The BIRD 2026–2035 positions trade, investment promotion and tourism as connected drivers of enterprise growth and regional competitiveness. For MTIT, the practical challenge is to convert the region’s comparative strengths into credible opportunities that investors can assess, enterprises can join and communities can benefit from.

This calls for more than promotion alone. Investor services, standards, business development, halal value chains, tourism readiness, market intelligence, aftercare and coordination with infrastructure and finance must work as one facilitation system. MSMEs should be able to enter value chains, improve quality and reach markets, while investors receive clear information and predictable, lawful processes.

MTIT’s contribution is to help connect policy direction with business realities: build the investment pipeline, work with partners to resolve barriers, support responsible enterprise and measure results transparently. The roadmap provides a basis for coordination; specific programmes and commitments remain subject to institutional review, financing and approval.

Farsernina A. Mohammad
Minister, Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism

Message from the Director General, MTIT

Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism

Directorate and operational coordination

The value of BIRD lies in turning a strategic direction into a practical system of responsibilities, work plans and review. The Balanced Scorecard links staff capability and institutional processes with investor and community outcomes and, ultimately, economic performance. For the directorate, this means clarifying who owns each action, which office provides the evidence, where a decision is required and how performance will be reviewed.

Sound execution also requires honesty about what is known. Baselines need source-owner verification; targets must be defined and approved; project readiness, budget execution and physical progress must be distinguished; and material variances require diagnosis before corrective action. The proposed BIF-Net can support shared visibility and coordination, but it must respect legal mandates, data-governance rules and the authority of each participating institution.

Institutional discipline is not administrative overhead. It is part of investor confidence and public accountability. A reliable management system can help the region learn from implementation, direct resources towards binding constraints and connect investment activity with demonstrable development value.

Rosslaini Alonto-Sinarimbo
Director General, MTIT

Messages

Message from the Director, Bureau of Investments, MTIT

Bureau of Investments

Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism

Investment promotion succeeds when investors can identify opportunities, receive dependable information, navigate lawful processes and resolve implementation barriers. The BIRD gives the Bureau of Investments a common framework for improving that journey while connecting promotion with enterprise capacity, infrastructure readiness, standards, finance and access to markets.

The objective is not approvals alone. A strong pipeline must distinguish expressions of interest from prepared projects, approvals from realised investment, and projected employment from jobs actually created and sustained. Aftercare, provincial outreach, investment intelligence and coordination with responsible agencies are essential to building trust and retaining viable projects.

The Bureau’s role is to facilitate, connect and monitor within its mandate, working with investors, MSMEs, local governments and development partners. With clear service standards and transparent evidence, investment promotion can support productive local value creation and broader opportunity across the Bangsamoro.

Shameera Abobakar
Director, Bureau of Investments, MTIT

Table of Contents

Preliminary pages and executive summary

Select any preliminary page, executive-summary section or chapter heading to navigate directly. Chapter subheadings link to their corresponding anchor in the published chapter files.

Executive Summary sections

Chapters

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations

List of Abbreviations

List of Abbreviations

Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

Executive Summary

At a glance

The Development Challenge

Opportunities and constraints must be addressed together

Chapter 2 frames BARMM’s investment economy as five connected clusters: Foundations, Transformers, Enablers, Connectors and Financiers. The system has real assets—young people, agriculture and fisheries, halal enterprise potential, renewable and natural resources, tourism and strategic regional location—but benefits are constrained when infrastructure, standards, market access, finance, skills and public-sector coordination do not develop in step.

What the diagnostics imply

Chapter 2’s systems diagnostics caution against treating each constraint in isolation. Enablers—including infrastructure, energy, digital systems, skills and service delivery—are critical because they influence the performance of the other clusters. The report’s survey analysis found institutional readiness to be the lowest of three assessed dimensions in each of the six survey clusters. This is diagnostic survey evidence, not a substitute for formal agency capacity assessments.

Evidence basis: Chapter 2 diagnostics and the BIRD Validation Survey (3–20 August 2026; 76 consented responses). Survey results should be read in light of the sample’s composition and geographic coverage; they are not population-representative estimates.

Strategic Options

Four choices were assessed; an integrated approach ranked first

Chapter 3 assessed four strategic options. Each offers a useful emphasis, but the decision was which approach could address the connected constraints of BARMM’s investment ecosystem rather than improve one sector while leaving binding dependencies unresolved.

Scores reproduce the analytical comparison in the BIRD planning materials. They are decision-support assessments, not measured economic outcomes. HEDS, IFES and GEMS remain strategic engines within the integrated approach.

Why IEDS was selected

Critical leverage points

1. Halal certification integrity: build credible standards, conformity assessment and traceability.
2. Infrastructure, energy and connectivity: reduce the costs and uncertainty that constrain productive activity.
3. Governance and investor confidence: clarify decision rights, publish service standards and improve aftercare.
4. Islamic finance ecosystem: connect Shariah-compliant financing and risk-sharing to viable enterprise and investment needs.
5. Green-economy revenue: pursue lawful and technically credible mechanisms with environmental safeguards and fair benefit-sharing.

BSC: Strategy and Investment Roadmap

The Balanced Scorecard translates IEDS into linked objectives, measures, initiatives and review routines. The causal logic runs from Learning and Growth to Internal Process, then to Stakeholder outcomes and Financial results. The four perspectives are interdependent; weights shown in Chapter 5 are proposed management weights and do not replace the definitions and validation rules in Chapter 4.

From objectives to portfolio execution

Each strategic measure should connect to an identifiable programme, activity or project (PAP), with a responsible owner, dependencies, financing status, safeguards, timetable and verifiable milestones. The scorecard is a management tool: it supports decisions and learning but does not prove causal effects merely because indicators move together.

The BIRD Growth Strategy

The growth strategy connects the BEIE clusters and five strategic growth engines through a common investment logic: build enabling conditions, strengthen productive value chains, connect firms to finance and markets, and govern delivery through evidence and accountability. The engines reinforce one another; they are not competing standalone strategies.

The 2035 Vision and Implementation Roadmap

The 2035 vision: prosperity that is productive, inclusive and resilient

These figures are strategic ambitions in the current report, not independently verified forecasts or adopted statutory targets. Chapter 4’s calibrated headline indicators additionally include 5,000+ halal-certified MSMEs, a household electrification ambition of 90% by 2035 and broadband connectivity of 85%, with indicator definitions and baselines subject to source-owner verification. Renewable-energy share, access to electricity and investment approvals are different measures and must not be conflated.

Three-phase implementation roadmap

Investment Requirements and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

Investment requirements: catalyse, do not overstate

The report’s ₱120–160 billion public catalytic envelope is indicative and phased at ₱35–45 billion, ₱50–65 billion and ₱35–50 billion. The wider ₱1.55–1.77 trillion requirement is derived from an assumed capital-output ratio and the report’s growth path; it is not a list of committed projects, a forecast with guaranteed returns or an approved financing package. The report’s indicative financing scenario allocates potential sources across BARMM public resources, national programmes, development and climate finance, and private, PPP and Islamic finance. Shares must only be reported as financing secured when supported by appropriations, signed agreements or documented commitments.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL)

MEL links strategy to implementation and institutional learning. It should report not only money spent and activities completed, but also whether the programme is removing constraints, changing service quality, increasing productive capacity and delivering outcomes. The BSC gives decision-makers a causal structure; Chapter 4 defines indicators and calibration; Chapter 6 specifies reviews and controls; Chapter 7 addresses policy and institutional continuity.

Illustrative review cadence in Chapter 6: monthly operational pipeline review where data allow; quarterly KPI and delivery review; twice-yearly cross-cluster and territorial review; annual performance and investment programming; a 2030 mid-term review; and a 2035 terminal evaluation.

Why This Matters

What success should look like in 2035

Success is not a single headline number. It is a Bangsamoro investment ecosystem in which enterprises can grow, public institutions can deliver, communities participate in the gains of development, and the economy becomes more diversified and resilient.

The decisions that matter now

1. Confirm institutional ownership. Agree decision rights, coordination arrangements and roles for MTIT–Bureau of Investments, participating agencies and local government partners.
2. Validate the evidence base. Reconcile territorial and price bases; confirm baselines, definitions, source owners and target approval status.
3. Prepare bankable investments. Prioritise feasibility, demand, finance, safeguards, resilience, local value creation and implementation capacity.
4. Sequence public catalytic support. Make later releases contingent on readiness and verified performance, with transparent records of funding status.
5. Review and learn publicly. Publish progress, limitations, corrective action and evaluation findings to sustain trust and improve the next decisions.

The ambition for 2035 is a Bangsamoro where ethical leadership, responsible investment and local ingenuity reinforce one another—where growth is not only larger, but more inclusive, more resilient and more widely shared.