VILLANUEVA is one of the bustling towns in Misamis Oriental and it looks more like a city than a town. Located just east of Cagayan de Oro City, Villanueva’s economic treasures stem from the existence here of Phividec. Phividec or the Philippine Veterans Industrial Development Corp. is an economic zone whose proceeds go directly to Filipino war veterans.

In fact, this is the first economic zone in Mindanao back when the term itself was not yet a buzzword. When the Americans left Sangley Point in Cavite and Clark and Subic during the early part of the Ramos administration, these were all converted into economic zones. But Phividec has long been in existence since the 1970s.

More and more factories have sprung as the decades passed. The latest addition which adds excitement to the bustling community life of Villanueva is Steag State Power, Inc. – a bulk electricity supplier using coal.

Steag State Power, Inc. offers tours of its state-of-the-art plant to curious domestic and foreign tourists for free. So it is not just sightseeing that one gains in Villanueva but also technical education and information as well.

In the upland of Villanueva, you can see the bright lights of Cagayan de Oro at night, it’s such a joyous sight, it’s almost as if you’re in paradise.