Indonesia reaffirms support for BARMM’s development
MindaNews / 25 September — Indonesia, a country with Muslim majority, has reaffirmed its commitment to support the tourism and investment potentials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Agus Trenggono, Indonesian Consul General in Davao, made the assurance in separate engagements with tourism and investment officials in the Bangsamoro region.
“Indonesia is ready to share experiences, exchange ideas and collaboration with BARMM, and share our ASEAN spirit through bilateral mechanisms and [the] BIMP-EAGA platform,” he said.
BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East ASEAN Growth Area, a sub-economic grouping formed in 1994 to fast-track progress in less developed areas of the member-countries.
Trenggono, representing Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Agus Widjojo, emphasized during the BARMM Tourism Summit 2025, held from Sept. 16 to 18 in Cotabato City, said that Jakarta remains open for collaboration with the Bangsamoro region in the fields of halal tourism, cultural promotion, and eco-tourism, among others.
He cited Indonesia’s experience in promoting local cultural wisdom and its plural tastes, from the preservation of batik and woven fabrics, the development of eco-tourism destinations, to the promotion of religious tourism across Islam, Catholicism, Buddhism, and Hinduism
“Tourism, beyond being a source of recreation, is also an effective program and activity to promote peace, inclusivity, and prosperity, [as in our case] in Indonesia,” Trenggono said in a statement.
In a separate meeting with the Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BBOI) headed by Mohamad Pasigan, the consul general discussed a major Indonesian investment in the region.
In Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, Kaltimex Rural Energy Corporation (KREC), a subsidiary of Indonesian PT. Kaltimex Energy, operates an eight-megawatt diesel-fired power plant.
Pasigan acknowledged KREC’s contribution to Bongao, which provides electricity to households and business establishments there.
Trenggono noted that KREC, which is registered with the BBOI in 2022, is a major Indonesian outbound investment in the Bangsamoro region.
KREC started operating in the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 2016.
Trenggono noted that Indonesia’s economic diplomacy efforts are bearing tangible and impactful results, as reflected in the growing interest for economic cooperation in trade, investment, and tourism from stakeholders in the BARMM and other areas in Mindanao with their counterparts in Indonesia.
He invited tourism and investment officials in the BARMM to grace the Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2025, which will be held on 15-19 October 2025 in Jakarta, to promote the region’s potentials. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
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