ROBUST GROWTH: The Philippines President Benigno Aquino says there has been steady gains in Asean economic integration as manifested by the accomplishments of the BIMP-EAGA.
KOTA KINABALU: Leaders of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) have agreed to fast track key infrastructure projects that will increase connectivity and support food production hubs in the sub-region.
A statement issued by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) yesterday said BIMP-EAGA leaders, in a joint statement issued at the end of the 7th BIMP-EAGA Summit, were encouraged by the progress of the 12 priority infrastructure projects (PIPs) being implemented in EAGA and urged their respective ministers and senior officials to fast track implementation of these PIPs.
The 7th EAGA Leaders’ Summit was held on the sidelines of the 18th Asean Summit which concluded last Sunday in Jakarta.
In his opening remarks as the meeting chairman, the Philippines President, Benigno Aquino, said there had been steady gains in Asean economic integration as manifested by the accomplishments of the BIMP-EAGA.
“For the past 17 years, BIMP-EAGA has served as a vital mechanism in the process of actualising our collective vision as brother nations,” said Aquino.
“We are confident of its continued significance in such crucial initiatives as those in the transport connectivity and trade facilitation,” he said.
In the meeting, EAGA leaders reaffirmed the importance of the sub-region in promoting economic integration across Asean and renewed commitment to intensify coordination in the implementation of EAGA flagship projects.
They specifically directed their officials to “identify and prioritise additional infrastructure investment projects, supportive of developing food production hubs and enhancing travel within the sub-region.” “We also reaffirmed our support for sustained efforts in infrastructure development in the areas of transport, energy, trade facilitation and information and communications technology (ICT),“ the statement said.
Among the EAGA priority infrastructure projects for 2010-2011 were Brunei’s Kuala Lurah Border Crossing Facility and Pandaruan Bridge and Indonesia’s Tanjung Selor-Border Road, Pontianak-Entikong Transport Link and Enhancing Manado-Bitung Link projects.
Also included were the ‘Trans Borneo Power Grid: Sarawak to West Kalimantan’ project of both Malaysia and Indonesia and the Lahad Datu Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) project in Malaysia.
Key EAGA infra projects in the Philippines are the Expansion of Mindanao Ports Programme I and 2 and Rehabilitation of the Davao-General Santos Road.
The Leaders also supported formulation of the Implementation Blueprint for 2012-2016, a guide to a more focused implementation of programmes and projects in BIMP-EAGA.
We called on all stakeholders at the local and national levels particularly the private sector to participate actively in identifying and prioritising doable projects that will generate immediate and direct impact on increasing trade, tourism and investments in the sub-region,” the leaders said.
In a report, the 18th Asean Summit had recently recognised the Philippines’ initiative to improve further connectivity across Asean through selective open skies policy and establishment of the roll-on roll-off (RoRo) network.
The liberalisation of the Philippines’ aviation industry and setting up of RORO facilities in the identified potential RORO links of EAGA supported the goal of the Asean Connectivity Plan which aimed for increased traffic and seamless movement of trade and tourism in the region.
Established in 1994, BIMP-EAGA is a four-country grouping collectively pursuing sub-regional economic growth.
With an estimated 50 million people spread out across 1.5 million square kilometres of land in the four countries, the BIMP-EAGA is Asia’s largest sub-regional cooperation. — Bernama