The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and Australia have strengthened their partnership under the Bimp-Eaga subregional cooperation framework following a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Special Bimp-Eaga Leaders’ Summit.
MinDA Chairperson Secretary Leo Tereso Magno and Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Marc Innes-Brown discussed revitalizing and expanding collaboration through the long-standing partnership between Bimp-Eaga and Australia’s Northern Territory, while exploring broader engagement with the Australian government. Australia joined the summit as a development partner of the initiative.
Magno, who also serves as the Philippine signing minister for Bimp-Eaga, emphasized the strong potential for more concrete and high-impact initiatives. He identified trade and investment, education and technical-vocational training, tourism, agriculture, connectivity, health, and people-to-people exchanges as priority areas for cooperation.
“These areas of cooperation are highly relevant to Mindanao’s development priorities, particularly in advancing inclusive growth, sustainability, and economic opportunities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and other border areas,” Magno said.
The renewed engagement supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s push to deepen subregional cooperation, strengthen international partnerships, and promote inclusive growth in Mindanao. During the Special Bimp-Eaga Summit, Marcos cited MinDA’s efforts to expand its network of development partners to support Mindanao’s development agenda.
“This is the kind of whole-of-partnership approach that we believe holds equal promise at the subregional level, and we encourage our Bimp-Eaga to consider how we might collectively broaden our cooperation with development partners as we pursue bolder targets in the next decade,” the president said.
Ambassador Innes-Brown reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to support development initiatives in Mindanao, particularly in BARMM, and expressed optimism about expanding future cooperation under the Bimp-Eaga framework. He welcomed the renewed momentum in Bimp-Eaga-Australia engagement and said he would raise the matter in Canberra for further discussions and possible areas of enhanced collaboration.
Also present during the meeting were MinDA Executive Director Undersecretary Janet Lopoz and Deputy Executive Director Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro. Officials said the meeting reflects growing recognition of Mindanao and the wider Bimp-Eaga subregion as a strategic platform for regional cooperation, economic connectivity, and sustainable development between ASEAN and Australia.
