THE Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga) Business Council (BEBC) commits to improve connectivity among the economic sub-region to spur tourism and trade in the area.
Former BEBC chair Datuk Roselan Johar Mohamed of Malaysia said in his speech during the turnover ceremony of the council’s chairmanship on Tuesday at the Marco Polo Hotel – Davao that connectivity is among the five pillars of BIMP-Eaga’s business sector.
The pillars, aside from connectivity are food basket, tourism, environment, and socio cultural and education.
“The BIMP-Eaga objectives has always been and will always be to increase visitations, trade and investment,” he said.
Mindanao Business Council’s chair Vicente T. Lao is the BEBC new chair.
Lao shared that to increase tourist arrivals, BIMP-Eaga’s member countries must offer special rates on landing rights as it affects the airline tickets.
Meanwhile, the proposed linkage between Zamboanga and Sandakan by Cebu Pacific last October 29 was postponed because Zamboanga Airport was not ready to host an international flight due to want of specific machines.
CEB was supposed to fly four times weekly -- Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays -- the Zamboanga-Sandakan route starting October 29, this year.
“The budget for material requisition has just been filed and hopefully the respective machines can be ready by end of next week,” Mohamed said.
Meanwhile, a pending proposal that seeks to grant travel tax exemption for those traveling from Mindanao and Palawan to any destination in the sub-region was filed at the House of Representatives.