A DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) official has called on potential investors to explore production forests in Mindanao.
Undersecretary Joselin Marcus E. Fragada reported the agency has delineated 500,011 hectares across 2,451 parcels of production forest for investment under Sustainable Forest Land Management Agreements (SFLMA).
“These 500,000 hectares are open, brush, and production forest lands ready for capital injection,” Fragada said at Plenary Day 2 of the Mindanao Development Forum 2026 on Oct. 28 at the Dusit Thani Davao.
He stressed that the land lies outside protected areas, critical watersheds, and existing tenures.
“Our protected forests, high-elevation watersheds, and critical protected areas remain strictly off-limits and conserved,” Fragada said.
By region, Caraga holds 177,201.18 hectares (35.4 percent), followed by Davao Region with 144,035.25 hectares (28.8 percent) and Soccsksargen with 105,123.75 hectares (21 percent).
Zamboanga Peninsula has 39,129.78 hectares (7.8 percent), while Northern Mindanao has 34,521.55 hectares (6.9 percent).
The land is earmarked as prime for commercial agroforestry (272,057 hectares) of coffee, cacao, rubber, and high-value perennials, which are prevalent in Mindanao.
He reported that around 216,000 hectares are ready for commercial tree plantations to end reliance on imported wood products, while pasture and ecotourism cover 11,873 hectares.
He added that SFLMA aims to be able to utilize the unutilized timberland areas to bring back the country in the map as the number one exporter of wood.
Meanwhile, the 132,896 hectares are slated for clean energy, as they met every technical threshold for utility-scale solar and wind energy development located within 20 kilometers of NGCP substations and on slopes under 20%.
To govern this land, the SFLMA application fee is a flat P10,000, while plantations and agroforestry pay 3 percent of gross revenue.
He added a predictable annual rate for energy and a zero user fee if you invest in protection forest restoration.
Renewable energy projects pay PhP7,200 per hectare a year, with a 10 percent annual increase.
“We have made the State your partner, not your bottleneck,” he stressed.
He called for the private sector to invest in natural capital and sustainable industries, provided they partner it with protection, planting of trees, and partnership with indigenous communities.
