THE country’s leading airline, Cebu Pacific Air, is the official airline partner of the ongoing 2nd BIMP-Eaga and IMT-GT Trade Fair and Business Leaders’ Conference in Davao City.
“CEB is proud to be the airline partner of this event, as the region comes together to discuss important developmental issues. We remain invested in boosting tourism and trade in all the destinations we fly to, and continue to work with government and private partners for a competitive region,” said Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and distribution.
BIMP-Eaga stands for Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia the Philippines East Asean Growth Area, while the IMT-GT stands for Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Growth Triangle.
“While both growth triangles have their respective road maps, this convergence will enhance our competitiveness by turning the sub-region into a single investment area and production network, thereby accelerating economic growth in Southeast Asia,” said Luwalhati Antonino, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), the Philippine coordinating office for BIMP-Eaga.
Also on the agenda are Climate Change Adaptation and the alignment of the four pillars of BIMP-Eaga, namely, connectivity, food basket, tourism, and environment. Investment programs within the Mindanao Development Corridors, the island-region’s spatial development framework, were also presented.
The trade fair, which was dovetailed by the Business Leaders’ Conference, showcased the finest and unique products of participating countries as well as current developments in the services sector, technology innovations, and investment opportunities. Business-matching sessions were conducted simultaneously with the trade fair and the business conference.
IMT-GT was formed in 1993 with similar goals of promoting trade, investment, and tourism in less-developed states and provinces in Sumatra, Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia, and Southern Thailand.
Both sub-regional groups aim to harness private sector leadership in initiatives to promote cross-border investments and improve connectivity.
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on October 25, 2014.
