PH accepts chairperson role for transport cluster, ALWG
THE Philippines has accepted the role of Chairperson for the Transport Cluster and Air Linkages Working Group (ALWG) during the recently concluded 9th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-The Philippines–East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Transport Cluster Meeting held September 1 and 2, 2022 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In his acceptance remarks, OIC-Director for Planning Service, Felicisimo C. Pangilinan, Jr., as Head of the Delegation, highlighted the uniqueness of the BIMP-EAGA sub-regional cooperation.
Because of its proximity to each other, beyond being a formal government association, the member countries are comparable to neighbors in a community, interconnected by cross-border trade and people-to-people exchanges.
Together with its regional development advisor, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), BIMP-EAGA is also conducting a Mid-Term Review of its BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025.
With 2025 not too far away, the target year envisioned for BIMP-EAGA to emerge resilient, inclusive, sustainable and economically competitive, the member countries renewed their commitment to address gaps and bottlenecks in the implementation of projects and strategic priorities.
The three working groups, namely Air Linkages Working Group, Land Transport Working Group, and Sea Linkages Working Group, deliberated on various plans, programs and interventions with the end view of establishing multimodal transport connectivity in the sub-region’s economic corridors.
The Philippine Delegation is composed of representatives from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Land Transportation Office-Philippines (LTO), the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the DOTr International Cooperation Division (ICD).
BIMP-EAGA is a sub-regional economic cooperation designed to narrow the development gap in select focus areas of the participating governments. In the Philippines, the focus areas include Palawan and the entire island of Mindanao.
