Cebu City to renew sister-city ties with Yokohama, Japan

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government will be renewing its sister-city agreement with Yokohama City in Japan this March.

 City Mayor Michael Rama said the two cities’ memorandum of agreement expires this March, but will be extended for three years.

 “I will go to Japan for the signing hoping that the ecological and sustainable urban development will further continue,” he said, adding that Yokohama officials paid a visit in Cebu for the agreement.

 Yokohama has been Cebu City’s sister city by virtue of an agreement signed in 2013 and from then on, the city has received a lot of help from the former. 

The memorandum obliges Yokohama City on Technical Cooperation for Sustainable Development to offer technical advice in promoting “eco-city development of Cebu.”

 Rama recalled that Japan, through the Japan International Cooperative Agency, and private companies — the AMCON Inc. and Mansei Recycle Systems Co. Ltd., — donated P15 million worth of sewerage treatment facility installed at the North Reclamation Area, a dump truck worth P2.8 million to store sludge cake for composting that would enhance the septage management in the city, and P15 million worth of “plastic to fuel” facility set up at Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.

 On top of these, Rama said Yokahama City will be giving two buses and 10 compactor trucks to Cebu City.  Rama hopes that the partnership with Yokohama City will be fruitful.

 He  said  there  will  be  people-to-people relationship, cultural exchanging, technological sharing, environmental enhance-ment, business matching and human resource enhancement between the two cities.

 Councilor James Cuenco, chairman of the committee on tourism, 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.”

Cebu City has signed sisterhood agreements with some cities and municipalities in the country, including Manila City; Santa Josefa, Agusan del Sur; Calamba, Laguna; 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.

 The city government has collaborated with Yokohama and other developed cities “with best experiences and practices” on urban planning and development and environment protection management due to “rapid urbanization and the corresponding increase in the population, urban development management, traffic management, waste management, environmental protection measures and drainage and flood control measures.”  (FREEMAN)