Brunei-based coop projects to benefit Pinoys

MANILA, Philippines - Four major projects proposed by Brunei-based cooperative KBBB and geared toward complementing the development goals of the Brunei Darussalam BIMP-Eaga Business Council are expected to benefit Filipinos through employment opportunities, a Filipino energy player and consultant of KBBB said.

KBBB or Koperasi Bumiputera Bersatu Berhad is a cooperative in Brunei established in 2006 with the goal of enhancing the social and economic well being of its members and the community.

“The four new projects in Brunei pose exciting job opportunities for our fellow Filipino workers. The need for around 20,000 workers in Brunei will assist the government in its job creation efforts. Filipinos have a competitive edge because we are known around the world as diligent and hard workers,” said Jose Silvestre Natividad, one of the consultants of KBBB in the four projects in Brunei and who is also president of Sunwest Water and Electric Co., a local renewable energy developer.

The four projects – a new transport system, an ASEAN Halal Park, new buses and a low-cost airline – are expected to generate more than 20,000 job opportunities for Filipinos who can work as contractors, design firms, engineers and consultants in the different projects.

The projects form part of the memorandum of understanding signed between KBBB chairperson Suharani binti Haji Abd Ladi and Pengiran Haji Mohd Yusof, executive chairman of the Brunei-Darussalam BIMP-Eaga Business Council, held last June 28 at the Holiday Lodge Hotel Jerudong, Brunei Darussalam, Silvestre said.

The first project, the new transport system for the Trans Borneo Railways, is a 4,440 kilometer railway system that will connect Bandar Seri Begawan to main cities in Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The proposed ASEAN halal park, meanwhile, is an integrated project that will set up 1,000 Halal-certified manufacturing companies.

The third project is the establishment of new buses and coaches for the Trans-Borneo bus services.

The proposed Darrusalam Air, the fourth project, is a low cost air travel company that will feature some of the best aviation facilities in the world with world-class hospitality that will be made available through some of the cheapest fare in the BIMP-EAGA region.

The proposed Trans-Borneo Railway project, will start and end at the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan, circumventing Borneo Island and will run throughout the coastline of Kalimantan, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.

“This will also make Borneo’s vast resources like coal, timber and minerals easily accessible for other parts of the world. Brunei shall play a very important role in the delivery of these commodities to destinations like China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and as far as the western seaboard in North America by providing a shorter alternative route coming from a station in Brunei,” KBBB said.