DOWNSOUTH.

Byline: Hernani De Leon

DAVAO CITY - A significant development in Mindanao this year, apparently overshadowed by the massacre in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province last November, is the island's resiliency amid the global crisis. While the northern regions of the archipelago reeled from the shocks of the economic slowdown in the first half, the island's fundamentals remained sound.

The number of layoffs in the secondary and tertiary sectors was way below Labor department projections. Economic activities even surged in many areas and properties - a solid indicator of direct domestic investment - with bullishness evident in Southern Mindanao.

Northern Mindanao, where big industries are located, took the initial blow from the crisis. Economic managers had said as many as …