It was an interesting and eye-opening meeting I had with an Aussie and a Kiwi at the DTI-11 yesterday. The Australian, Quentin Kilian, and the New Zealander, Craig Hubbard, were in town to do a public demonstration of the BIMP-Eaga Business Portal. BIMP-Eaga… Australia?? Let me elaborate.
Ever since 1992 when the Eaga was established — through the efforts of then-Presidential Assistant for Mindanao, Paul Dominguez — Australia’s Northern Territory has been keen on joining this 4-nation aggrupation. For example, in 1995, an Australian trade mission participated in the BIMP-Eaga Agri Aqua Fair in Davao, to which they brough live ostriches!
Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, has also played host to one of the Senior Officials Ministerial Meetings, the first time it was held outside Eaga. That was when the Northern Territory was declared a BIMP-Eaga development partner, after an endorsement by our own Jesus Dureza.
To further showcase their clear intent to actively participate in the economic aspect of the Eaga, Darwin has sponsored the development of the BIMP-Eaga Business Portal. Kilian, Director of Asian Relations (Trade & Major Projects Division of the Department of the Chief Minister), is the lead advocate of this entire endeavor. Hubbard, managing director of TechnicaOne Business Solutions, is the developer of the portal.
Kilian and Hubbard are undertaking an Eaga-wide roadshow to introduce the portal and to promote awareness among the target beneficiaries.
As a business portal, it’s an online tool for encouraging cross-border trade. The Darwin-funded roadshow, according to Hubbard, is also meant for identifying and appointing country-specific administrators — both for operational and technical considerations. In the Philippines, Mindanao and Palawan form part of the BIMP-Eaga, and the operations administrator is the Mindanao Business Council, represented by its executive director, Jason Magnaye.
The administrator’s main responsibility is to promote the portal’s acceptance and usage by SMEs of Southern Philippines, therefore generating content. Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia also have their own administrators.
As well, technical administrators have also been invited into the system. From the Philippines are myself, Marc Javellana and Andrew dela Serna. Our contribution will be by way of technological know-how, as well as our experience in managing online communities in the Filipino context.
I’d like to think that the three of us have already begun to contribute even during yesterday’s meeting, which was hosted by Lou Pasawa, city director of DTI-11.
The business portal is also capable of bringing together the various administrators and other contributors, via an online forum. Its purpose is to ensure improved cross-cultural communications, which will then hopefully translate to seamless trade across Mindanao, Palawan, North Sulawesi, Sabah, Kalimantan — all the regions covered by the Eaga — plus Darwin.
The Northern Territory is now positioning to be the new economic gateway of Australia, and the BIMP-Eaga, being its closest neighbors, will be its trading partners. Quentin Kilian related to us his vision of revived Australasian trade routes, by which our various economies could profit from tourism, air & sea linkages, agricultural trade, and of course, I.T. outsourcing arrangements.
In a nutshell, the business portal is a tool for you to market your products and services. Conversely, being a facility that spans 4 countries, it has the potential to become a springboard to a profitable export business for your company. It is currently a free service, therefore a hugely cost-effective way of bringing your products and services out to a much broader marketplace. (Should the portal become a paid service, Kilian reiterated that the purpose will be only for cost recovery, not for profit.)
The BIMP-Eaga Business Portal and its launch yesterday in Davao is a most apt vanguard of the upcoming Mindanao ICT Congress. Since the 6th MICT will be playing host to the 1st BIMP-Eaga ICT Conference, the business portal could be the perfect online venue to promote the event, and to initiate cross border discussions on the future of ICT within the BIM-Eaga+1 region.
The blogger & Quentin Kilian, talking about Philippine politics.
Craig Hubbard & Andrew, talking shop.
Marc, Craig & Andrew. Photos courtesy of Marc Javellana.
