BIMP-EAGA Leaders OK Vision 2035 Roadmap For Underserved Regions
MANILA, May 8 (Bernama-PNA) -- Leaders of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) have approved a new 10-year roadmap seeking to accelerate economic growth, connectivity and development in underserved areas across the subregion, including Mindanao and Palawan, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.
At a press conference on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu City on Friday, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chairperson Secretary Leo Tereso Magno reported on the BIMP EAGA Special Summit held on Thursday, saying the approval of the BIMP-EAGA Vision 2035 marked “a very defining moment” for the four EAGA countries.
“Yesterday, the four leaders of the four countries approved the way forward for BIM EAGA, the BEV 2035, or the BIMP EAGA Vision 2035, which aligns with the reason why this BIMP EAGA cooperation was created,” he said.
“This is to make sure that underserved areas within the four countries, particularly the whole of the Sultanate of Brunei, and for the Philippines, Mindanao and Palawan, areas in Indonesia, and in Malaysia,” he added.
Magno said the new roadmap builds on the gains of BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025 while setting new development targets until 2035.
To translate this vision into action, he said the four countries agreed that BEV 2035 should pursue four strategic priorities: climate-smart agro-industry and fisheries, seamless travel and sustainable tourism, stronger production networks and the development of an agile, future-ready workforce.
Magno said infrastructure development remains central to the initiative, noting that the number of priority infrastructure projects under BIMP-EAGA has increased from 57 in 2015 when BEV began to 265 this year.
“The projects that were outlined, the 265 priority infrastructure projects, the estimate is USD174.6 billion,” he said.
During the Special BIMP-EAGA Summit, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr called for stronger regional cooperation and a more people-centred approach, stressing that development should produce visible and lasting benefits for the communities rather than remain limited to economic targets.
“This vision is not merely a roadmap for economic integration, it is a promise to our people that development will be meaningful, sustainable, and felt in their daily lives,” President Marcos said in his opening statement.
Marcos underscored that ongoing regional programmes have already generated livelihoods, improved connectivity, and expanded economic opportunities across member countries, but noted that the true value of cooperation lies in uplifting local communities.
He also urged continued collaboration to turn regional plans into long-term and intergenerational impact.
Meanwhile, Magno said President Marcos also pushed for greater use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to develop underserved areas.
He said the president reiterated the importance of public-private partnerships in developing areas in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao and the BIMP-EAGA area.
Member countries, he said, agreed to align BIMP-EAGA initiatives with ASEAN priorities while strengthening cooperation with development partners, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the European Union.
“Hopefully, we can partner, we can scale up our partnerships with these development partners, and, of course, with the European Union to bring about change again in the areas that need development,” Magno said.
“By 2035, we target the BIMP-EAGA’s contribution to be at least, hopefully, 12 per cent of the total ASEAN economy,” he added.
-- BERNAMA-PNA
