​

14 November 2025

Yang Mulia Mohammad Harris bin Brigadier General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Haji Ibrahim, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Trade and​ Industry) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy, recently attended the Ministerial Retreat and the 28th BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting held at Davao City, the Philippines on 13th & 14th November 2025, respectively. Chaired by His Excellency Secretary Leo Tereso Magno, BIMP-EAGA Signing Minister for the Philippines, and attended by other BIMP-EAGA Signing Ministers, BIMP-EAGA Chief Ministers & Governors, BIMP-EAGA Senior Officials, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The Meeting took note of the outcome of the 33rd BIMP-EAGA Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) which included among others, the progress of Clusters and Working Groups including the renaming of Information and Communication (ICT) Cluster to the Digital Cluster, with its expanded scope to harness emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the establishment of a Halal Task Force and Economic Zone Working Group to further leverage on the opportunities available in the BIMP-EAGA economic corridors, and the signing of agreement between Brunei Darussalam’s Wasan Milling Co. Sdn Bhd and the Municipality of Nara, Palawan of the Philippines aiming to empower local farmers and enhance regional trade.

Aside from further noting the outcome of the 7th Chief Ministers, Governors, Local Government Forum (CMGLF), among others in strengthening the role of CMGLF in translating sub-regional strategies into concrete local action; and pursuing sub-national cooperation, including through bilateral or cross-border fora to encourage complementary initiatives and the ongoing finalisation of the BIMP-EAGA and China Cooperation Plan of Action 2026-2030, the Meeting significantly welcomed the progress report on the BIMP-EAGA Vision (BEV) 2035, which is expected to continue on from the previous BEV 2025 and act as the guiding principle towards achieving heightened socioeconomic growth throughout the region.

The Joint Media Statement of the 28 th BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting and Related Meetings is available for download via the BIMP-EAGA Website. 

The 28th BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting and Related Meetings were preceded by the 33rd BIMP-EAGA SOM, as well as the 16th BIMP-EAGA and China SOM and 1st BIMP-EAGA and ASEAN Secretariat SOM held on 12th and 13th November 2025, respectively. Meanwhile, BIMP-EAGA Investment Conference (BIMP-iCON) was also conducted at the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting whereby Brunei Darussalam signed four (4) Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) related to ICT development during the event. 

Established in 1994, BIMP-EAGA is an initiative among Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to accelerate socioeconomic development in the sub-region. Today it represents 10% of ASEAN’s total GDP.