Mindoro’s dramatic economic turnaround beating poverty, insurgency

MANILA, Philippines – Improving economic conditions in the province of Occidental Mindoro has resulted in a reduction of poverty and insurgency incidents.

In a statement released by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Friday, Occidental Mindoro Lone District Rep. Leody Tarriela said the province’s dramatic economic turnaround — from 2.1 percent growth to a nation-leading 11.2 percent — offers compelling evidence that bringing roads, electricity, livelihoods and basic government services to formerly conflict-affected communities can break the cycle of poverty and insurgency.

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He added that the province’s transformation demonstrates in concrete terms the principle behind the government’s whole-of-nation peace and development strategy: lasting peace cannot be secured by security operations alone, but must be sustained by development that people can see, use and feel in their everyday lives.

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Tarriela declared that infrastructure has opened communities once isolated by geography, poverty and decades of armed conflict.

His remarks came amid Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showing Occidental Mindoro posting an extraordinary economic expansion, alongside recent statements from the National Anti-Poverty Commission and Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Secretary Larry Gadon linking poverty reduction and inclusive development with the weakening of conditions historically exploited by insurgent groups.

For decades, Occidental Mindoro was known as the country’s “brownout capital” due to chronic power interruptions lasting from 16 to 18 hours daily, while many remote communities in the province remained vulnerable to communist insurgency.

Improved power supply, expanding infrastructure and sustained peace and development interventions have helped create conditions for investment, employment and greater economic activity.

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Power interruptions have been substantially reduced, while seven of the province’s 11 municipalities had attained insurgency-free status by 2024.

“The 11.2 percent growth is not just a number—it is a symbol of real change,” Tarriela said. And with improved power supply, the lawmaker said investors came to Occidental Mindoro, bringing in more jobs and opportunities.

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With this development, Tarriela said poverty and hunger fell, with government services now truly felt. And this is why, Tarriela said, why people no longer join or support armed groups.

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He cited the municipality of Magsaysay as a concrete example of development reaching communities on the ground.

Magsaysay became the first municipality in the country to complete an infrastructure project under the FY 2026 Local Government Support Fund–Support to the Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP), making Mimaropa the first region nationwide to report completed projects under the FY 2026 program.

Under the FY 2026 SBDP, eligible cleared barangays receive funding for high-impact community projects such as farm-to-market roads, water systems, school buildings, health stations and rural electrification—investments designed to address the very conditions of isolation and underdevelopment that allowed insurgency to persist for decades.

Tarriela likewise cited Sablayan, where farm-to-market roads and other development initiatives have begun connecting previously isolated communities to markets, schools, health facilities and government services. He also explained that isolation imposes a heavy economic burden on poor communities.

“Kung maganda ang buhay ng tao at kumakain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw, nakapag-aral ang mga anak nila—doon nababawasan ang insurhensya (if the people are having a good life and eating three times a day and able to send their children to school—insurgency will be greatly reduced),” Tarriela said.

He thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the NTF-Elcac for sustaining development interventions in communities emerging from decades of insurgency, stressing that programs such as the BDP help convert security gains into lasting economic and social progress.

Tarriela acknowledged that Occidental Mindoro still faces challenges, particularly in achieving fully reliable electricity and consolidating lasting peace across the province. But its experience, he said, demonstrates what can happen when the government addresses conflict not only through security measures, but by confronting the poverty, isolation and lack of opportunity on which insurgency has historically thrived.

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He called for the expansion and sustained funding of the Barangay Development Program, saying many communities across the country are still waiting for the roads, water systems, schools, health facilities, electricity and livelihood opportunities now transforming parts of Occidental Mindoro. /jpv