The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allotted $400 million (P22.32 billion at current rates) to support blue economy initiatives in Mindanao, in line with the efforts for the broader development of the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) sub-economic grouping.
Abdulraof Macacua, interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), disclosed the ADB funding following his attendance to the 16th BIMP-EAGA meeting on May 27 in Kuala Lumpur, as a member of the Philippine delegation, on May 27 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The high-level meeting was attended by heads of state of the BIMP-EAGA member-countries: Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“I have good news for you … the ADB committed $400 million to support blue economy projects for the Philippines in Mindanao and Palawan,” he said in Filipino, posted on his Facebook page.
Blue economy, according to the World Bank, is the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.” The European Commission defines it as “all economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts.”
“For us, it will be beneficial for the coastal island-provinces of Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, as well as Sulu,” Macacua said.
While Sulu is no longer part of the BARMM, Macacua noted its potentials, together with Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, in seaweed farming, fishing and island tourism, which are among the areas for development under the blue economy blueprint.
In Mindanao, the Bangsamoro region has been positioning itself as a key player in BIMP-EAGA considering its proximity with the other member-states.
BIMP-EAGA is a cooperation initiative established in 1994 to spur development in remote and less developed areas in the four participating Southeast Asian countries. In the Philippines, the BIMP-EAGA focus areas are the entire Mindanao and Palawan province in Luzon.
Macacua noted the ADB funding to support the blue economy in Mindanao, particularly in the BARMM, will help boost livelihood opportunities, provide assistance to fisherfolk and seaweed farmers, and attract more marine-based businesses in the region.
BARMM’s Tawi-Tawi province is the country’s top seaweeds producer. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ Seaweed Industry Roadmap for 2022 to 2026 cited Philippine Rural Development Project’s (PRDP) data, which stated that Tawi-Tawi accounted for 62,911 hectares of seaweed farm production areas. The province also produces 375,617 metric tons of seaweeds as of 2020, contributing almost 26 percent to the country’s harvest of 1.47 million metric tons.
Aside from seaweeds and other marine products, the Bangsamoro region has been working to develop its halal industry as its contribution to the further growth of the BIMP-EAGA sub-economic grouping.
The BARMM hosts the minority Muslim population in the Philippines, a largely Catholic nation of 109 million people as of the May 2020 census. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
