LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Philippines – The progressive provinces of Pangasinan and Cebu signed a sisterhood agreement last March 14 to “establish friendship ties through sharing of experiences and best practices in areas of mutual interest.â€
The twining agreement was signed by Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino Jr. and Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III at the Cebu provincial capitol’s Social Hall.
Both provinces commit to develop cooperative projects in areas of trade and investments, tourism, arts, culture, education, agriculture, environment, disaster preparedness, and healthcare.
The two provinces earlier had committed to share best healthcare practices with Cebu wanting to replicate Pangasinan’s hospital and healthcare management while Pangasinan is interested in emulating the tourism and investment programs of Cebu.
In his speech, Davide said he was impressed with the transformation of Pangasinan to become one of the centers of excellence in health services and other areas of local governance.
Over a month ago, Cebu officials led by Davide visited Pangasinan to see for themselves the province’s gains in healthcare management.
“It was indeed inspiring to learn from them, as it was heartwarming for us to know that they, too, are looking at Cebu as their model in promoting investments and tourism,†Davide said.
For his part, Espino said Pangasinan is still far behind Cebu in terms of economic progress, but he added that the province has gained significant progress in healthcare, sports, culture, agriculture, and environmental management.