Sec. Coloma to speak before Sr. Info Ministers of BIMP-EAGA

Monday 17th of October 2011

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Oct. 17 (PIA) -- Sec. Sonny Coloma of the Presidential Communication and Operations Office (PCOO) is scheduled to arrive in the city on Oct. 18.

Coloma will be the resource speaker during the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines, East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Media Forum, set from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Xavier Sports and Country Club (XSCC).

Participants of the forum are Senior Information Ministry Officers and chief editors from the BIMP-EAGA-member countries.

Romeo Montenegro, Spokesperson and Head of Communications and Media Affairs, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said a BIMP-EAGA Communication Strategy and the establishment of a network of the BIMP-EAGA Media are the expected outcomes of the forum.

Meanwhile, some 250 estimated delegates are scheduled to arrive in the city on Oct. 17, for the 20th Senior Officials Meeting and 16th Ministerial Meeting (SOMM), from Oct. 19-21, 2011 at the XSCC.

The delegates are expected to arrive earlier than their Ministers due to their participation in the BIMP Investment Conference (BIMP I-Con) at the Pryce Plaza Hotel on Oct. 18.

Other activities scheduled on Oct. 18 are the BIMP-Local government Unit Bilateral Discussion and the Meeting of the BIMP-EAGA Heads of Customs, chaired by Commissioner Ruffy Biazon.

Montenegro said the SOMM activities on Oct. 19 will deal with key projects that the Philippines is pushing such as the following:

hybrid rice seeds production and expansion of hybrid corn seed production, establishment of air linkages for Davao-Manado and Puerto Princesa-KK, establishment of sea linkages for Zamboanga, Muara, Brook’s Ooint-Labuan-Muara and Glan-Tahuna-Bitung routes, conduct of BIMP-EAGA Airlines Summit back-to-back with BIMP-EAGA Travel and Tourism Expo 2012, special arrangements for airlines servicing EAGA routes, like total waving of airport charges and overtime fees for a particular period of time until market becomes stable.

Equator Asia marketing and promotion and JTD Philippines will host the BIMP-EAGA Airlines Summit and the BIMP-EAGA Travel and Tourism Expo, next year. (MinDA/PIA-10)