Eaga summit expected to draw 200 delegates

• Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/business/2015/12/28/eaga-summit-expected-draw-200-delegates-449075
• Monday, December 28, 2015

By Ace June Rell S. Perez

SOME 200 delegates from across Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga) are expected to join the 12th BIMP-Eaga Summit next year slated last week of January 2016, to be hosted by Davao City.

Romeo Montenegro, Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) director for investment promotions and public affairs told reporters that the hosting of Davao City to the summit is crucial as it will be the finalization of the BIMP-Eaga Vision 2025 blueprint.

“The blueprint of BIMP-Eaga 2025 will jive with Asean 2025: Forging Ahead Together roadmap that is what we wanted to pursue, to lay laydown strategic way forward of projects, programs, activities jiving in the directions also of the Asean,” he said.

He explained that the Bimp-Eaga 2025 will be a successor document of the BIMP-Eaga 2016.

“It will serve as the successor document to the Implementation Blueprint 2012-2016," Montenegro said adding that the blueprint will still be anchored on the BIMP-Eaga pillars including tourism, agribusiness, connectivity, environment, education as well as socio- cultural, among other sectors.

The venue of the summit is yet to be finalized. Montenegro also added that most probably those to be included in the successor document are those projects that were unable to be carried in the previous blueprint.

The BIMP-Eaga 2025 is eyed to attain a resilient, inclusive, sustainable and economically competitive sub-region within BIMP-Eaga while recognizing the sub-region's strategic role in the Asean community encouraging greater synergy between the regional and sub regional's sectoral bodies.

In a recent 19th BIMP-Eaga ministerial meeting in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, last December 10, ministers from the member countries said in a joint statement emphasizing that the ministers urged all BIMP-Eaga stakeholders, especially the private sector and the local governments, to share their views, inputs and projects that will generate economic growth and development in the sub-region.

"We welcome the formulation of the BIMP-Eaga Vision 2025 to develop a resilient, inclusive, sustainable and economically competitive sub-region. We endorse the guiding framework for BIMP-Eaga Vision 2025 and direct our senior officials to finalize it in time for the 12th BIMP-Eaga Summit," read the statement signed by six ministers, three representing Malaysia and one each from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and the Philippines.