Council creates body to promote sisterhood

The Cebu City Council has created a body to sustain the city’s sisterhood program and enhance its policies on tourism.

After series of deliberations, the City Council approved Wednesday the creation of the “Cebu City Sister City Commission.”

The commission will be composed of representatives from the consular core in Cebu, Department of Foreign Af- fairs, City Council, city protocol officer, and private sector. The city mayor will act as chairman while the chairperson of the City Council’s committee on tourism will serve as vice chairman.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo, who co-authored the ordinance creating the commission with Councilor James Cuenco, said the members of the private sector must have an experience and sufficient knowledge and expertise on international relations and standards. Private sector representatives will be appointed by the mayor and shall be concurred by the City Council.

The City Council has allocated at least P10 million to fund the operations of the commission this year. The amount was P2 million higher than the original budget proposed by Carillo and Cuenco.

“There is a need for Cebu City to have its own body that will represent and sustain its sister city program as a way of advocating the policies and programs on tourism by forging a mutually beneficial relationship with its foreign and domestic sister cities,” the proponents said.

Cuenco said among the functions of the commission is to serve as the city’s principal liaison in the establishment and maintenance of local and international relations and cooperation especially with sister cities and official international organizations; maintain active relations with other local governments in the country and sister cities abroad; actively campaign, attract and invite tourist to visit the historic Cebu, and expand and deepen sisterhood relations; prepare covenants with other cities around the globe for mutual benefits; promote exchange among sister cities for the purpose of obtaining economic, cultural and educational benefits; among others.

The creation of the commission was in pursuant to Republic Act 9593 (Tourism Act of 2009) that “declares tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socioeconomic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment, and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos.”

Cebu City has signed sisterhood agreements with some cities and municipalities in the country, including Manila City; Santa Josefa, Agusan del Sur; Calamba town, Laguna; Municipality of Burgos, Ilocos Sur; Angeles City, Pampanga; Tangub City, Misamis Occidental; Ormoc City; Talisay City; Lapu-Lapu City; Mandaue City, Palayan City, Toledo City and Laoag City.

It has also established sisterhood relationships with Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands; Kaohsiung City, Taiwan; Yeosu City, South Korea; Xiamen, China; Honolulu City, United States of America; Chula Vista, California, USA; Seattle City, Washington, USA; Paramata, Australia; Kitchener, Canada; Salinas City, California; Kortrijk, Belgium; Vladivostok, Russia; Barcelona, Spain; Brisbane, Australia; Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

Cuenco said in order to promote tourism and strengthen ties with its sister cities in the country and abroad, “it is beneficial for Cebu to activate and fortify our relations with our sister cities both here and overseas.”— Kristine B. Quintas/FPL