Among 17 regions, Zamboanga Peninsula posts fastest growth in 2012

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Zamboanga Peninsula posted the fastest economic growth in 2012 among the 17 regions in the country, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) announced on Thursday. 

Mewhun W.S Pamaran, regional head of the NSCB, said the Western Mindanao region, particularly Zamboanga peninsula, registered a growth of 12.4 percent last year from 0.1 percent in the previous year.

These growth sectors include agriculture (housing, forestry, fishing), industry (mining, manufacturing, construction, electricity, gas, and water supply), service (transport, storage and communication, trade and repairs, finance intermediation, real estate renting and business activities, public administration and defense) and others.

“The growth was very impressive,” Pamaran said, highlighting the industry and service sectors.

The industry sector was the largest contributor to the region’s overall economic growth in 2012 with 9.4 percentage points, followed by the service sector with 3.7 percentage points. 

Pamaran said the industry sector surged to 31.6 percent in 2012 from 1.5 percent in 2011 due to the accelerated growths in all its subsectors like the manufacturing which accounted for 27.4 percent of the region’s total economy and grew remarkably by 35.2 percent in 2012 from 5.9 percent in 2011.

“The double-digit growth was attributed to a high increase in production of canned sardines,” Pamaran said.

Zamboanga City is known as the sardines capital with majority of the canning factories are based in this city.

Based on statistics, succeeding Zamboanga Peninsula is Region 8 with a 10.6-percent growth, Region 7 (8.1 percent), and Regions 10 and 11 tied at 7.4 percent. 

On the other hand, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) placed at the bottom with 1.2 percent growth.