Cebu City and Himamaylan City have forged sisterhood ties to promote cooperation in governance and development initiatives, and to share programs and best practices.
The sisterhood agreement was signed by Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival and Himamaylan City Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson Jr. in a ceremony held at Shangri-La Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City on Wednesday afternoon.
In a Facebook post, Tongson thanked Archival for his friendship and openness to building a partnership with the southern Negros city.
“The two cities will move forward as sisters, carrying one shared promise: to turn this partnership into progress that our people can see, feel, and carry into the future,” he added.
Tongson said that through the partnership, it will be easier for Cebu and Himamaylan to cooperate and exchange knowledge in various aspects of governance. These include tourism, trade, education, health, urban development, environmental protection, culture, sports, and social services.
“This partnership also expands the opportunity for our city to share our experiences and adopt ideas that will further strengthen our service to the people of Himamaylan,” Tongson said.
He conveyed Himamaylan City’s commitment to the partnership, expressing optimism that the sisterhood agreement will open opportunities for cooperation, innovation, and meaningful exchanges that will strengthen both cities.
“We will strive to make this sisterhood fruitful and felt by our people through concrete programs and opportunities,” Tongson said in the vernacular.
In a separate Facebook post, Archival said that through the partnership, Cebu City looks forward to collaborating with Himamaylan City on various areas, such as governance, environmental protection, tourism, culture, disaster resilience, economic development, and other programs that will uplift their respective communities.
“Kini nga kasabutan dili lang pirma sa usa ka dokumento. (This agreement is not just a signature on a document). It is a commitment to work together, share best practices, strengthen local governance, and create more opportunities that will benefit our people,” he added.
The signing of the sisterhood agreement was witnessed by Grace Sheila Avanzado, executive director of the Cebu Sister Cities Commission, and engineer Jovil Zayco, local government relations unit officer of Himamaylan City.*PNA
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