Region XII

Region XII—Soccsksargen—occupies south-central Mindanao where General Santos City's tuna industry has created distinctive economic identity. The region's name combines provinces (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani) and city (General Santos) into an acronym that administrative convenience created without cultural coherence.

General Santos—known as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines—hosts processing facilities that supply both domestic and export markets. The tuna industry provides employment in catching, processing, and canning operations that sustain urban populations. Overfishing concerns and climate-driven stock movements create long-term sustainability questions that short-term revenue pressures often override.

Agriculture supplements fisheries. Pineapple, coconut, and rice production in provincial areas provides rural livelihoods distinct from General Santos's industrial character. The region's relative security—better than BARMM to the west—enables investment that conflict zones cannot attract.

Pacific boxing champion Manny Pacquiao's origin in General Santos has created global recognition for the city that conventional tourism marketing could never achieve. By 2026, expect tuna industry to continue despite sustainability pressures, agricultural commodity production maintaining rural economy, and Soccsksargen demonstrating how named regions can succeed despite artificial administrative construction.