At the top of the agenda is the subregion’s development strategy and plans for the next 10 years.
Davao City is hosting BIMP-EAGA’s 33rd Senior Officials’ Meeting and 28th Ministerial Meeting (SOMM) and other related meetings from 11 to 14 November. Early in the week, a trade and tourism fair featuring exhibitors from the four member-countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, followed by an investment conference, will also be held in the city.
This is not Davao’s first time to host the meetings. It was chosen as the venue of the inaugural Senior Officials’ Meeting and Ministerial Meeting on 24 to 26 March 1994. Mindanao’s largest city is strategically located as an agricultural, commercial, and industrial hub and a gateway to ASEAN markets and beyond.
The BIMP-EAGA Vision (BEV) 2035, which charts the development path of the subregion for the next decade, is at the top of this year’s agenda. The 16th BIMP-EAGA Summit in Kuala Lumpur last May endorsed the BEV 2035 guiding framework, which seeks to accelerate the development of the subregion as “a unified growth area” that is “socially inclusive, open, aligned, and resilient, ensuring shared economic prosperity and sustainability.” A task force, comprising the national secretariats, chairs and national focal points of clusters and working groups, BIMP-EAGA Business Council representatives, BIMP-Facilitation Center (BIMP-FC), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as regional development advisor, developed the strategy document. The final draft of BEV 2035 will be submitted to the ministers for approval next week.
The Ministerial Retreat and Meeting will be held in the Island Garden City of Samal on 13 and 14 November. Aside from BEV 2035, the ministers are also expected to adopt a strategic, spatial, and socially inclusive approach to economic corridors development in the subregion as recommended by an ADB-led study. Under this integrated approach, BIMP-EAGA economic corridors are envisioned to function as a network to promote the sustainable development of all communities in the subregion. Three existing economic corridors will be reconfigured and expanded, and a fourth economic corridor will be developed.
The 3-day BIMP-EAGA Trade and Tourism Expo will kick off the week-long activities on 9 November. To be held at Abreeza Mall, the expo will showcase products, services, and investment opportunities in the subregion. The National Secretariats’ Meeting and BIMP-EAGA Business Council (BEBC) Meeting are on 11 November. The Senior Officials’ Meeting is on 12 November while the recently revived Chief Ministers, Governors, Local Government Forum (CMGLF), BIMP-EAGA Bilateral Meetings, BIMP-EAGA Investment Conference, and BIMP-EAGA Media Forum will be held on 13 November.
The Senior Officials’ Meeting will take stock of the progress and accomplishments of sector strategies and projects as well as tackle any issues and concerns reported by the clusters. There are nine clusters that support the strategic pillars of BEV 2025. These are the Agribusiness, Transport, Trade Facilitation, Trade and Investment Facilitation and Promotion, Information and Communication Technology, Power and Energy Infrastructure, Tourism, Environment, and Sociocultural and Education Clusters.
The Philippines is also hosting the 5th Budayaw Festival of Cultures. It is organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in partnership with the City Government of Puerto Princesa, from 5 to 8 November 2025 in Palawan. The 5th Budayaw Festival features a colloquium on biodiversity and culture, dance and music performance, culinary showcase, craft booths, cultural exhibitions, online curated film programs, and a cultural tour to highlight distinct yet interconnected BIMP-EAGA communities.
Budayaw, a portmanteau of the Bahasa word “budaya,” which means culture and the Filipino word “dayaw,” which means good or beautiful, is a biennial cultural exchange under the BIMP-EAGA cooperation framework. The festival aims to strengthen regional ties through the celebration of shared heritage and cultural diversity. The Philippines was the first to host the Budayaw Festival in General Santos City in 2017.