Cebu City, Yokohama to help each other

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government and the Yokohama City in Japan have signed an agreement that will encourage business matching opportunities for private enterprises of both cities.

The ceremonial signing of the memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation for sustainable urban development was held at Cebu City Hall yesterday morning.

“It’s not a formal memo. It’s an MOU. No obligation on the part of the city. Make it clear to work together and explore opportunities and avenues that will lead to hopefully something more tangible,” Mayor Tomas Osmeña told reporters after the signing.

Osmeña said the agreement, which started in 2012, will help the city government get inputs from Yokohama’s expertise in the fields of solid waste management, septage management, water purification, and renewable energy generation.

He said the city government will be given project proposals from different private companies in Japan that were part of the delegation yesterday.

“I’m really caught by surprise that many of you are interested in very specific subjects like waste management, power, traffic management, and I can arrange one-on-one meetings,” he said.

Osmeña vowed that the city government will help facilitate for the Japanese investors to do business in the city.

As a response, Toru Hashimoto, executive director for development cooperation of Yokohama, expressed gratitude to the city government for its collaboration with Yokohama for six years now.

With the signing of MOU, the collaboration and coordination between the two cities will be extended until 2021. (FREEMAN)