All set for BIMP-Eaga in Oro

By Michael Andrew W. Yu

PREPARATIONS for the upcoming 20th Senior Official Meeting and 16th Ministerial Meeting of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga) on October 19-21 at the Xavier Estates Sports and Country Club, Cagayan de Oro City are all set.

Kick-off activities will highlight business conferences and product expositions at a premier hotel in the city and SM Cagayan de Oro mall, respectively.

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Romeo Montenegro of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) said at least 250 delegates are expected to attend the event, which the country will host for the first time.

Montenegro, over a media briefing at the “Kapihan sa PIA (Philippine Information Agency),” said Minda is also expecting Secretary Lualhati Antonino to represent the Philippines during the Ministers’ Meeting.

In the senior official meeting, Regional Operations Development Group (RODG) Undersecretary Merly Cruz will represent the Philippines.

Dignitaries, the four ministers and senior officials from cooperating countries and other top executives of the government and private sector representatives will discuss concerns of the cooperation and other concerns in Mindanao to further introduce developments in Cagayan de Oro City.

During the event, a media forum will also take place to be attended by chief editors and senior information ministry officers from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines.

Communications Group Secretary Herminio Coloma will attend the media forum, which aims to establish communications strategy and network of BIMP-Eaga media.

Montenegro said the forum would be a venue for exchange of information between the private media organizations of the cooperating countries.

Minda is the Philippine secretariat for the BIMP-Eaga.

Montenegro said Minda expects delegates from China and Japan would also be present at the event. Said are also in partnership with the BIMP-Eaga.

“This will be a big activity in Cagayan de Oro,” he said, announcing that authorities are tightening the security for the success of the event.

BIMP-Eaga was launched in 1994 during the Ramos Administration as a cooperation initiative by Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, all of which are member-countries of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The objective behind the creation of BIMP-Eaga is to accelerate economic development in the four countries' “focus areas” which, although geographically distant from their national capitals, are in strategic proximity to each other, in one of the world’s most resource-rich regions.

The BIMP-Eaga initiative is market-driven, and operates through a decentralized organization structure involving the four governments and the private sector.

Over the years, there has been exchanges take place both in economic, social activities, cultural and enhancing profitability of goods and services on four countries.

Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on October 17, 2011.