ILOILO CITY, Philippines, October 3 (IslamOnline.net) - Muslim Mindanao’s economy is expected to get an added boost when four Southeast Asian leaders meet next week to discuss how to “consolidate efforts at spurring growth and development” among their countries.

Brunei Darussalam’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are set to meet in the First Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Leaders Summit on Monday, October 6, in Bali, Indonesia.

The four are due to discuss key priority programs and projects identified in last month’s 8th BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting in Davao City in order to fast-track growth in the sub-region, the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO), the Philippine government’s think-tank on Mindanao, announced in a statement sent to IslamOnline.net.

The leaders are set to discuss institutional reforms, intensified support for small and medium enterprises (SME’s), trade relations promotions with China, South Korea, North and South Asia, support for transport and energy sectors and further harmonization of customs, immigration, quarantine and security regulations within the growth area.

Philippine special envoy to BIMP-EAGA and senior presidential consultant on Mindanao Affairs Paul Dominguez described the scheduled meeting as “historic” and “an opportunity to generate political commitments at the highest levels of government.”

He said it would boost Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s economy as it belongs to Mindanao, which was identified as the country’s “focus area” along with Palawan Island.

Efforts at alleviating poverty in the region have become a priority of the Arroyo government with the scheduled resumption of the peace talks between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front this month.

He stressed that the scheduled summit “is a concrete proof of the continued commitment of the four governments and their respective private sectors” to “consolidate efforts at spurring growth and development in the sub-region.”

In last month’s 2nd ARMM Business Congress in the Islamic City of Marawi, around 250 business leaders and members of various chambers of commerce from the ARMM, most of whom were Filipino Muslims, expressed confidence on the region's ability to make a major economic turnaround.

They agreed that ARMM’s economic development would be boosted with its now active participation in the BIMP-EAGA.

“The summit comes at a most opportune time, when there is a wide consensus and explicit recognition among member-countries that BIMP-EAGA will play a vital role as an engine of growth for the focus areas of the sub-regional cooperation,” Dominguez said in a statement received by IslamOnline.net on Friday, October 3.

Discussions during the BIMP-EAGA 8th Ministerial Meeting in Davao acknowledged BIMP-EAGA’s role not only in development but also as an effective response to the challenges of globalization.

The BIMP-EAGA, with an aggregate area of 1.54 million square kilometers and a population of more than 50 million people, is the largest sub-regional cooperation in Asia.

Its focus areas are the entire sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; East and West Kalimantan, North and South Sulawesi, Maluku, Gorontalo and Irian Jaya in Indonesia; Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan in Malaysia; and Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines.

BIMP senior officials earlier agreed that BIMP-EAGA's main focus of development will be on agro-industry, tourism, infrastructure and small and medium enterprises for better sub-regional coordination and integration.

The 11 original working groups were recently clustered to four main working group clusters focusing on the new areas of cooperation.

The cluster on agro-industry now includes the sub-sectors forestry and environment and fisheries with Indonesia as the lead country.

Brunei Darussalam will also be heading the working group on transport and infrastructure development, which now covers sub-sectors on air and sea linkages as well as construction materials.

Malaysia, on the other hand, will stay focused on joint tourism development. Meanwhile, a cluster on small and medium enterprises was also considered with the Philippines as the lead country.

The working groups for EAGA look at how economic cooperation in the focus areas of the sub-region can be enhanced and promoted on a regional scale.

Agriculture is the driving force behind Mindanao's economy. Close to a third of its land area is devoted to agriculture. More than one-third of the island's labor force is employed in the agriculture, fishery and forestry sectors.

Mindanao accounts for over 40 percent of the Philippines' food requirements and contributes more than 30 percent to the national food trade. Mindanao's evenly distributed tropical climate makes it ideal for year-round crop production. If wisely harnessed, the second largest Philippine island’s rich agricultural resources can serve as the Philippines' foundation for sustainable growth.