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Vol.1 Issue 5 2
of the various elements within the plan as we move towards
identifying specific activities that help narrow development gaps
within EAGA,” he added.
On another angle, Montenegro emphasized the need for
enhancing more air/sea/land links as that means to combat the
dilemmas of illegal trade and shadow activities that also exist
within the BIMP-EAGA. The shadow economy was reported to exist
particularly between Tawi-Tawi and Sandakan, Malaysia and Balut
Island in Sarangani with Bitung and Manado, Indonesia.
Montenegro said about 60 percent of products in Tawi-Tawi
came from across the border, as these were four times cheaper than
sourcing goods from Zamboanga.
“These are not taxed, not regulated. These are colorum because
no standards are governing them,” he stressed. “Part of our policy
push is to lay the ground for peculiar trade policy that are very much
attuned to the reality. This will include MOUs concerning protocols
and guidelines governing the different sizes of vessels operating
within the sub-region, as well as the opening of the first roll-on roll-
off (RoRo) ferry service linking Davao, General Santos, and Bitung
which will truly cut down on illicit trade activities.
During the event’s breakout sessions, the transportation cluster
announced that it is planning for the development and upgrading
of seaports in Mindanao particularly within the Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Palawan to support connectivity
programs and projects.
The Initial list of these seaports includes the Bongao Port in Tawi-
Tawi, the Polloc Port in Maguindanao, the ports in Puerto Princesa
and Buliluyan in Palawan, the Zambonga, Davao, and General
Santos ports in Mindanao.
The BIMP-EAGA tourism cluster on the other hand is eyeing
complementation efforts with the transportation cluster in
strengthening the tourism industry within the sub-region.
Philippine Department of Tourism Undersecretary and
Chairperson of the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Cluster Alma Rita Jimenez,
said that a major thrust for EAGA’s tourism is to find the balance
between strategy and execution.
“Our current objectives for EAGA’s tourism sector are to bring the
output percentage up, implement the outlined activities, measure
achievements, and proactively calibrate both opportunities and
challenges,” she added.
More than 200 key players, senior officials, stakeholders, private
sector representatives and government officers gathered for
the 2017 BIMP-EAGA SPM, designed to assess strategies and set
directives that will enhance cross-border trading and socioeconomic
relations within the sub-region.
In November last year, the Philippines assumed the chairmanship
of BIMP-EAGA and took leadership for all EAGA-related activities,
meetings, and other functions.
The BIMP-EAGA was organized in 1994 as a sub-regional
cooperation primarily intended to spur development in the lagging
sub-economies of the member countries by enhancing trade,
tourism, and investments. Mindanao and Palawan are the two focus
areas of the Philippines in the sub-regional grouping.
“Our current objectives for EAGA’s tourism sector are to bring the output
percentage up, implement the outlined activities, measure achievements,
and proactively calibrate both opportunities and challenges,”
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