KEY players in the field of information and communications technology (ICT) from the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippine East
ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) met Tuesday in Cagayan de Oro for the 5th Bimp-Eaga Working Group on ICT Meeting.

The meeting aims to review the ICT action plan for EAGA under the 2006-2010 Bimp-Eaga Roadmap Action Plan and discuss future directions for ICT in Eaga in the coming years.

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The working group was expected to re-prioritize and agree on projects that show great potential and significant outcomes by September 2010 in time for the next Bimp-Eaga Senior Officials and Ministerial Meeting and the 7th BIMP-EAGA Summit.

The working group also discussed the current project accomplishments vis-à-vis its target outputs, possible completion by October 2010 as well as availability of financial and technical resources and the project’s impact towards achieving Eaga’s goal of increasing trade, investment and tourism.

It also looked into previous assessments of the existing and current
opportunities of the sub-region in the sector as well as the Bimp-Eaga Leaders’ directives during the recent 6th Bimp-Eaga Summit in Thailand and the previous Senior Officials/Ministerial Meeting in planning for an ICT development framework and priorities for the next five years.
"The world is becoming increasingly interconnected and ICT being an enabler of development will serve to increase the rate of business and socio-economic growth across the sub-region," said Usec. Virgilio Leyretana, chairman of the Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco).

Addressing digital divide is an important agenda not only in mainstreaming ICT but as a key development strategy in the sub-region, he said.

Among the agenda that the ICT working group were: review of the improvement of telecommunications infrastructure and ICT facilities and services in Eaga, tariff rationalization at the border areas, establishment of a secured ICT network in Bimp-Eaga, and the development of a local content (databases) related to Bimp-Eaga on all sectors.

The group also tackled the promotion of the use of Wireless Technology
Networks such as wi-fi and Wi-Max and a Bimp-Eaga Virtual Science and Technology Park Business Center.

The meeting was chaired by Brunei Darussalam, headed by the ICT Working Group chair Pengiran Haji MD Zain, director of Communications and Chief Executive of Authority for Info-Communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam.

Indonesia will be led by Bertiana Sari, director of Bilateral Affairs, Directorate of Posts and Telecommunications, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology; Malaysia by Ms. Farhana Shabbdin, Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications, and Culture; and Philippines by Director Edgardo Celorico of the National Telecommunications Commission.

Following the meeting, there will be a two-day Convergence 2009, a
roadshow on the business process outsourcing (BPO) industries to be spearheaded by the Commission on ICT (CICT). (Sun.Star/Press Release)