Sisterhood ties between Cebu, Yokohama City underway

MANILA, Philippines - A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is expected to usher in a sisterhood relationship between the province of Cebu and Yokohama City in Japan.

This, after Kimihiro Kuromizu, director of the International Technical Cooperation of Yokohama City, recently informed Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia of future cooperation between Yokohama City and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Cebu City in the field of urban development.

But Tanaka Yasushi, deputy director general of JICA’s Southeast Asia and Pacific Department, said they would also seek the involvement of the Cebu government as the issues they are going to address in Cebu City extend to Metro Cebu.

“Since urban programs are common issues in Metro Cebu, we hope the Cebu provincial government will be involved in our partnership directly or through the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board,” said Yasushi who, along with Kuromizu, was in Cebu recently.

Yasushi told Garcia that JICA would not only provide technical assistance but funds, too, to realize their programs.

According to Garcia, she is willing to go to Yokohama as soon as she receives a letter of invitation. The visit is tentatively scheduled in March.

Since Japan is dependent on trade and exchanges with other countries, Yokohama City and JICA consider their contribution to the development of other countries as part of their responsibility in improving the well-being of their citizens.

Last month, the provincial government of Mosul, Iraq officially became a partner of Cebu province as their respective officials signed a sisterhood agreement.

A delegation from Mosul, Iraq, headed by its governor, Athil Abdulazeez Mohammed Alnajafie, paid a courtesy call to Garcia and manifested interest to establish ties with Cebu.

Iraqi Ambassador Wadee Hanna Al-Batti said this is the first time that an Iraqi provincial government is establishing sisterhood ties with another province outside their country.

Al-Batti said they chose Cebu among other provinces in the Philippines considering its significance in terms of business and employment, among other reasons.

For more than 10 years, Iraq had been closed to other countries because of the war there.