Recognizing the importance of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) to post-pandemic recovery, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Thursday called on the leaders of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia to intensify efforts to boost growth and development in the sub-region.
During the virtual 14th BIMP-EAGA Summit, President Duterte said, “it is vital that we make BIMP-EAGA a major catalyst for transformative change in our region” and noted that achieving growth “would need strategic coherence within the larger ambit of ASEAN and its initiatives”.
The sub-region is one of the major food baskets in the ASEAN, the President said, as he underscored the need to intensify efforts in ensuring sustainability of marine and agricultural resources as part of recovery efforts.
According to the President, there’s a need to re-establish air and sea linkages disrupted during the pandemic and it is important to develop digital infrastructure in the BIMP-EAGA region to further narrow development gaps.
He emphasized the value of convergence with other connectivity initiatives as well as partnerships with external stakeholders in order to achieve the goal of inclusive and sustainable growth in the BIMP-EAGA.
In this regard, President Duterte thanked China, Japan, South Korea and the Northern Territory of Australia as they continue to engage with the sub-region.
At the same time, the President pushed for the creation of travel corridors and suggested the adoption of similar arrangements to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and rehabilitate tourism industries hit by the contagion.
BIMP-EAGA can study the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework for the promotion of essential travel in the region, he noted.
To protect communities from disasters and calamities, the President reminded other stakeholders of their responsibilities, and underscored the importance of mainstreaming environmental management and disaster risk and crisis management in the sub-region’s work programs. PND
