Gwen, Gullas attend gatherings overseas

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas, who just celebrated their birthdays, recently left the country to grace international events in two different countries.

Yesterday as he celebrated his 78th birthday, Gullas last night flew to Geneva, Switzerland, to attend the 119th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly from October 13 to 15.

Gullas, who is the adviser to the delegation, is with Speaker Prospero Nograles, who is leading the House of Representatives delegation.

The other members of the group include Rep. Mark Cojuangco as delegates and Reps. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Ma. Zenaida Angping, Jesus Crispin Remulla, Victor Ortega, Ma. Milagros Magsaysay, Amado Bagatsing and Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza, as technical advisers.

Important issues that will be tackled by the IPU Assembly include nuclear disarmament, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and human rights.

Since the early 1990s, the IPU has been working closely with the United Nations to make international relations and decision-making more transparent as well as more effective.

Meanwhile, Garcia, who just celebrated her 53rd birthday the other day, yesterday morning flew to Sabah, Malaysia, as a guest to the Sabah International Expo 2008.

The Sabah International Expo is Sabah’s premier trade fair and serves as the platform for the convergence of business on diverse areas and industries.

The Honorable Minister of Industrial Development, Datu Dr. Ewon Ebin, sent the invitation to Garcia. The governor will be the speaker on October 15. 

The next day she will return to the country to preside the Regional Development Council in Dumaguete City.

“One of the main objectives of SIE 2008 is to encourage the integration of environmental considerations of all development plans, while unwavering in our resolve to make Sabah a developed and prosperous region,” the minister wrote the governor. — Garry B. Lao/BRP (THE FREEMAN)