Manila, Honolulu sister cities after 44 years

MANILA, Philippines — After nearly 44 years, the city council of Manila ratified its sister city agreement with Honolulu, Hawaii, a lawmaker said yesterday.

The resolution to ratify the sister city agreement, filed by District 2 Councilor Numero Lim, was passed by the city council on Feb. 15.

“There is a need to ratify the sister city agreement that was passed by the city council of Honolulu under Resolution 80-49 (on) March 19, 1980,” he said during the Feb. 15 council session.

Lim said the resolution was made when a municipal board comprised the council of Manila, which was governed by then Metro Manila governor and former first lady Imelda Marcos.

The first city council of Manila was established in 1988, a year after the 1987 Constitution was enacted, he added.

“Manila was under a municipal board during that time, and we were under martial law during the 1980s, which may impact the applicability and ratification of the sister city agreement,” Lim said.

Despite the agreement being apparently outdated, the Manila city legal office found “no provision detrimental to the interest of any party involved,” Lim noted.

The sister city agreement between Manila and Honolulu would “highlight shared interests and problems of the two cities as capitals and port cities,” according to Lim.

Twenty-six councilors present during the session gave their approval for the sister city agreement to be ratified, without any objection. The council has 38 members.

On Feb. 22, a delegation from the Honolulu city council visited the Manila city council during its session.

Led by council chairman Tommy Waters, the group was composed of councilors that included two Hawaiians of Filipino descent: Radiant Cordero and Val Aquino-Okimoto.

The councilors of Honolulu declared in their respective messages their willingness to make partnerships with the Manila city government.