12th BIMP-EAGA, 14th MEDCo Anniversary celebration starts today
DAVAO CITY -(Zamboanga Journal / 12 Mar) A weeklong celebration of the gains and milestones in Mindanao and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia, Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (EAGA) starts Monday in the celebration of the 14th Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) and the 12th BIMP-EAGA anniversary.
As a start, a MEDCo motorcade will kickoff here and would be followed by a convergence meeting of the different Project Management Offices (PMOs) in the later in the day. It will be held to further strengthen the different peace and development projects in Mindanao.
Information about MEDCo, Mindanao and the BIMP-EAGA will be on display at the NCCC Mall until Sunday. An information and product display of MEDCo's development partners and sponsors will also be included in the exhibit.
Complementing the exhibit are cultural performances that portray thesocio-cultural diversity and unity of Mindanao and Palawan, as well asthat of the neighboring EAGA countries such as Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia.
In order to disseminate information and promote understanding of Mindanao and BIMP-EAGA initiatives among the youth, a series ofMindanao-BIMP-EAGA briefings with college students will also beconducted by MEDCo secretariat.
On Wednesday, key BIMP-EAGA activities such as the joint meeting of the BIMP-EAGA Natural Resources Development (NRD) Cluster and SME Development (SMED) cluster will be held.
In the evening, the Hand-over Ceremonies of the chairmanship of the private-sector-led BIMP-EAGA Business Council (BEBC) from Malaysia to the Philippines will be held at the Marco Polo Hotel.
The ceremonies will be attended by guests and officials of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as local government officials of Mindanao and Palawan.
"The conduct of the BEBC hand-over ceremonies during the week-long anniversary celebration of the BIMP-EAGA is truly a well-appreciated development. The ceremonies affirm and take off from what the government has been advocating all along-that after setting the mechanisms for making the EAGA concept work, it is the private sector that should leadin creating a favorable trading environment in the growth region," said Secy. Jesus Dureza, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
"Aside from coinciding with the BEBC Ceremonies, the celebration also serves as an opportunity for the development partnersof MEDCo and the stakeholders of BIMP-EAGA to strengthen their advocacy for peace and development in the island, and in the growth area," said Virgilio Leyretaña, MEDCo officer-in-charge.
Dubbed as the largest sub-regional cooperation, the BIMP-EAGA wascreated on March 24, 1994 in order to accelerate trade, tourism andinvestments in the growth area. The region has an estimated populationof more than 50 million spread out across 1.54 million square kilometers of land area which potentially focus in the areas of tourism, natural resources, SME, transportation, infrastructure and ICT.
MEDCo, the Philippine government's peace and development arm in Mindanao, also serves as the Philippine coordinating office for BIMP-EAGA. The weeklong 12th BIMP-EAGA and 14th MEDCo anniversary celebrations are in partnership with the Mindanao Business Council, BIMP-EAGA Business Council and supported by NCCC Mall of Davao, GEM 2 Program, Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Embassies and Consular Offices of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, Department ofTourism, Davao City Government, Davao Association of Colleges and Universities Network (DACUN), Our Lady of Victory Training Center and COMFAC.
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