7TH BIMP-EAGA SUMMIT IN JAKARTA SUNDAY

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), May 4 (Bernama) -- The 7th
Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit
will be held on Sunday as part of the 18th ASEAN Summit related meetings from
May 4 to 8 in Jakarta.

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said in a statement Wednesday
that Philippines President Benigno Aquino III and key Philippine-EAGA officials
would leave for Jakarta tomorrow to push for the Philippine-EAGA initiative in
the 7th BIMP-EAGA Summit.

Aquino would be meeting his EAGA counterparts, Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Tun Razak of Malaysia, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and
President Susilo Bambang Yudyohono of Indonesia.

This year’s EAGA Summit will highlight issues about improving
interconnectivity within the sub-region in line with the Master Plan on Asean
Connectivity.

"In the meeting, the Philippines will push for further connectivity in the
sub-region through the establishment of roll on-roll off (RORO) transportation
system," MinDA said.

The development of RORO terminal system has been identified as a key
strategy to expand more trade and reduce the cost of inter-island transportation
across the subregion.

Currently, there are already six potential RORO routes identified for
BIMP-EAGA, particularly connecting Mindanao and its neighbouring areas in the
subregion.

These are the Zamboanga-Sandakan (Sabah), Zamboanga-Kota Kinabalu (Sabah),
Zamboanga-Muara (Brunei), Glan, Sarangani-Tahuna or Bitung (Indonesia), Brooke’s
Point (Palawan)-Kudat (Sabah), and Gensan-Muara (Brunei) routes.

The EAGA leaders are also expected to provide key directives on
fast-tracking the implementation of priority infrastructure projects in the
subregion particularly in the areas of transport, energy, trade facilitation and
information communication technology (ICT).

The meeting is also expected to come up with key directives on ensuring food
security, promoting eco-tourism, developing strategies for conservation and
sustainable management of EAGA’s natural resource and biodiversity.

Strengthening the BIMP-EAGA Business Council will also be discussed in
recognition of the private sector’s critical role in accelerating the growth of
the subregion.

Created in 1994, BIMP-EAGA is Asia's largest sub-regional cooperation with
an estimated 50 million people spread out across 1.5 million square kilometres
of land in four countries.