BIMP-EAGA Business Portal Launched In Davao

A painter's gallery in Davao City in Mindanao. Filipino painters and visual artists are famous around the world and their works have been featured in many exhibits in Europe and Asia. (Zamboanga Journal)

DAVAO CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 23 Feb) Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) will soon find a virtual place to sell their products and services in the region, as well as in Australia.

The Northern Territory (NT) Government of Australia, in cooperation with the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), the Mindanao Business Council (MBC), and the Department of Trade and Industry-XI have recently announced the launching of the BIMP-EAGA Business Portal (BEBP) in May this year, at a forum at Marco Polo Hotel here in Davao City.

Quentin Kilan, assistant director of the Department of the Chief Minister of the NT Government of Australia, pointed out that the project was conceptualized to strengthen trade ties among EAGA countries and Australia, serve as an effective means to assist EAGA's private sector business communities, as well as facilitate the promotion of Mindanao products in the Internet.

Kilan, who previously conducted the business portal's road show in Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, qualified that the portal is actually an online directory that is projected to give SMEs that export, or are on the verge of exporting products and services, the opportunity to advertise themselves online.

Furthermore, Kilan noted that the key principle of BEBP is for the website to facilitate information, as well as trade among SMEs in the region, and Australia. He also pointed out that BEBP will continuously promote products, by featuring a trader and/or product of the month.

With Kilan in the forum was Craig Hubbard, an information technology officer from the Trade and Major Projects Division,who gave a project briefing and demonstration on the features of the system.

In citing the portal's web address at www.BEBP.org, Hubbard said that visitors will also able to search the site by product category or country and the site will also provide contact details of traders for any queries. Visitors then will initially see a listing of products that are categorized by country, product and urgency for items of limited shelf life.

Hubbard also pointed out that the BEBP is a community-based solution where all members of the EAGA region will have vital roles in improving the project.He added that the portal was designed to complement existing structures and information online through links.

He also noted that the BEBP was programmed in a way that it can be adjusted to suit the SMEs' individual or local requirements. All member economies are then going to form a work group environment for the enhancement and feedback of the solution.