CEBU, Philippines - The Yokohama City Council offered to give technical assistance to the Cebu City Government in promoting ecological and sustainable urban development.
Visitors from the Yokohama City Government were treated to a welcome party by the city government at the Sinulog Hall of the City Public Library Building.
“We will do our very best to have a good relation with Cebu City, especially in the technology assistance. We will work hard as much as possible,” said Councilor Mitusru Kajimura.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama hopes that the partnership with Yokohama City will be fruitful.
“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress and working together can make right things happen,” said Rama.
He added Yokohama City and Cebu City will have a relationship like sisters.
However, the sisterhood of the two cities could no longer be established as Yokohama already has a sisterhood agreement with Manila.
Rama said there will be people-to-people relationship, cultural exchanging, technological sharing, environmental enhancement, business matching and human resource enhancement that will happen.
“Someday we could stand and we could invite everybody to come to Cebu, making the city more liveable and sustainable. Of course, we could not do this alone. That’s why this partnership with Yokohama City is just the beginning,” he said.
Aside from Kajimura, also present during the welcome party were fellow councilors Kazumi Yamada, Tomio Shimizu, Tetsuo Fujishiro, Daisuke Yusa and Kazuo Tanoi.
Japanese Consul Yoshiaki Hata with businessmen Shin Nagai, president of Toho E.S. Corporation; Shibahashi Masao, chairperson of Shibahashi Sho Kai and Suzuki Kazuo, president and chief executive officer of Daiichi Ltd. were also present. — (FREEMAN)