BIMP-EAGA infrastructure

Long story short, when Philippine President Fidel Ramos with his great vision of resorting back
centuries old trade links, forging economic new economic ties to spark growth in archipelagic
areas marginalized provinces and providing regions impaired with a better access to viable
economic opportunities1. This idea launched in 1994 in Davao City. Then Asian Development
Bank (ADB) came to support BIMP-EAGA in 1996 that have EAGA’s back program of Regional
Development Advisor since 2003. ADB had provided numerous of help for the development in
terms of linkages in roads, air, sea and ICT in leading the subregion’s cooperation 2.

Connectivity is the machine of BIMP-EAGA’s where vast of priority infrastructure projects

gocus on land, sea and air connectivity. Back in 2011, before the phase of Implementation
Blueprint, leaders of BIMP-EAGA have agreed to fast track key infrastructure rojects that will
increase connectivity and support food production hubs in the sub-region. 3 Among the priority
infrastructure projects of period 2010-2011 were the runei’s Kuala Lurah Border Crossing
Facility and Pandaruan Bridge and Indonesia’s Tanjung Selor-Border Road, Pontianak-Entikong
Transport Link and Enhancing Manado-Bitung Link projects. Aside from that, rans Borneo Power
Grid: Sarawak to West Kalimantan’ project of both Malaysia and Indonesia and the Lahad Datu
Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) project in Malaysia.

Regional cooperation between infrastructure and economic development have been a

significant interest to the policymakers, economists, and geographers and many others for a
long time.4 Various scholars in many different areas of context have argued regarding of which
comes first either economics or infrastructure. Taking the example of the increases in air
linkages which includes the traffic and its capacity have shown attraction to the firms of a

1
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK. (2019). BIMP-EAGA: Turning remote, isolated areas into economic engines.
Retrieved from https://www.adb.org/news/features/bimp-eaga-turning-remote-isolated-areas-economic-engines
(accessed 24 June 2019)
2
Ibid.,
3
Theborneopost.com. (2011). BIMP-EAGA leaders to fast track key projects infrastructure projects in the region, p.
1. Retrieved from https://www.theborneopost.com/2011/05/12/bimp-eaga-leaders-to-fast-track-key-projects-
infrastructure-projects-in-the-region/

4
Julie Cidell, "The role of major infrastructure in subregional economic development: an empirical study of airports
and cities", Journal of Economic Geography, 15.6 (2015), 1125–44 <https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbu029>.
region that leads to more jobs 5. Airport expansion proponents claimed to be in the region’s
interest because of the overall benefits. In Brunei for instance, the expansion of its iconic
airport in has develop as the regional hub that has doubled the capacity from 1.5. million to 3.0
million passengers per year 6, this altogether have improved access to tourist destinations and
increased the movement of cargo.7

Apart from that, one of the original BIMP-EAGA strategy aimed to improve the general
environment for economic cooperation and development by empowering the private sector
through the provision of the two elements. First is the Sufficient physical infrastructure which it
means the linking of the business of the subregions and improving access to regional and global
markets. Second is the effective commercial infrastructure, where, finance, information and
skills establish entrepreneurial capacity and capability

Other than that, one of the potential economic corridor that exists along the western
side of the island of Borneo called the Borneo Economic corridor (BEC), is grounded on physical
infrastructure and a tradition of trade and investment across its borders. 8 There are established
nodal points along the corridor where economic activity flourishes, and its end points are
gateways to Asian markets and further production networks. The BEC is a natural focal point for
trade and investment activities under the EAGA.9

In summary, It is identified that in the BIMP-EAGA implementation blueprint the

infrastructure facilities improvement as one of the key measures needed to support the goals of
increased trade, investment, and tourism. The improvement in infrastructure facilities will
contribute to the enhancement of air, land, and sea transport systems within and among the
EAGA member countries. Likewise, these are vital for the seamless movement of goods and
people from EAGA and for its integration to ASEAN and the rest of the world.
5
Cidell.
6
Modernisation of Passenger Terminal. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cai.sg/global-experience/brunei-
international-airport/ (accessed 24 June 2019)
7
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Brunei Darussalam. (2019). JOINT STATEMENT THIRTEENTH BRUNEI DARUSSALAM–
INDONESIA–MALAYSIA–PHILIPPINES EAST ASEAN GROWTH AREA SUMMIT (13TH BIMP-EAGA SUMMIT) 23 JUNE
2019 BANGKOK, THAILAND. Bangkok, Thailand: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Brunei Darussalam. (accessed 24 June
2019)
8
Montague Lord, Prioritizing Strategic Directions for BIMP-EAGA (BearingPoint, Inc ii, 2004)
<https://www.academia.edu/9958115/Prioritizing_Strategic_Directions_for_BIMP-EAGA> [skatīts 25 jūnijā 2019].
9
Lord.