Cebu City eyes sisterhood with Hungarian city

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government is looking at having a strong relations with Hungary by forging a sister city agreement with one of its cities.

Albeit no particular city has been mentioned at the moment, but the Cebu City government hopes to explore some business opportunities as well as cultural exchange with the Hungarian government.

This came after the Hungarian Ambassador to the Philippines Titanilla Tóth's visit to the City Hall last Wednesday. She was accompanied by Deputy Chief of Mission Dávid Ambrus, Honorary Consul Joy Benedicto, and Hungarian Water Technology Corp. (HWTC) CEO Adrian Kiss.

Tóth and the members of her party were well-received by Vice Mayor Donaldo “Dondon” Hontiveros, representing Mayor Mike Rama who is currently in Manila. Hontiveros was joined by Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) General Manager Stephen Yee; Atty. Jerone Castillo, Rama’s Special Assistant; and Protocol Consultant Angel Espiritu.

Tóth said she is excited about the prospects between her country and Cebu City and the rest of the Cebu Province after she toured around Cebu over the past few days. She said Hungary and the Philippines have a lot in common, especially in terms of faith, as the majority of her people are also Catholics.

“I will bring attention to that, especially because next year, we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bilateral relations between the Philippines and Hungary,” Toth said.

Toth, as reported by the City’s PIO, said she is personally interested in Cebu City’s heritage walk, which includes the Basilica Minore del Sto Niño, Magellan’s Cross, Fort San Pedro, Colon Street, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, and Casa Gorordo Museum, among others.

The ambassador and her colleagues also experienced whale shark watching in Oslob and stopped by Carcar City and Sibonga town. Tóth even suggested boosting advertisements for Cebu’s hidden gems.

HWTC CEO Adrian Kiss, who was also present during the visit, shared that their company has technological solutions in relation to water supply and distribution that they can also offer to the city and MCWD.

 HWTC manufactures containerized mobile water treatment units, which can be useful during calamities and emergencies.

“The acquisition of such water treatment units will be of great help to rural communities during disasters when water distribution lines will be damaged,” Kiss was quoted as saying.

The units are run by a generator and can be installed and set up within three to four hours.

Kiss said they also have technologies that can help MCWD reduce water loss and electricity consumption to make their distribution system safe and sustainable. — FPL (FREEMAN)