THE City Government of Dumaguete signed a sisterhood agreement with the city of Yeongdong-gun in the Republic of Korea for the enhancement of understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two regions.

Mayor Agustin Perdices, in the presence of city officials, recently signed the agreement following a lengthy deliberation by the Municipal Council before the latter gave the local chief executive the authority to enter into a sisterhood arrangement with the South Korean city.

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The agreement also aims for the expansion of bilateral ties between both parties, bearing in mind the importance of the Philippines-Korea diplomatic relations.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental, through its provincial chief Javier Fortunato Jr., had facilitated the sisterhood agreement, City Legal Officer Neil Ray Lagahit said.

During intense floor deliberations at Thursday’s City Council session on whether or not to grant the mayor authority to ink such agreement, Lagahit was invited to shed light on legal matters.

He explained the document was general in principle but other specific details would have to be discussed in the future considering that some further arrangements in the sisterhood agreement might need the approval of the august body.

Lagahit also noted that the sisterhood arrangement with Yeongdong-gun is akin to the arrangement that the cities of Dumaguete and Makati had entered into several months back.

Early on in the floor discussions, City Councilor Alan Gel Cordova had expressed apprehension over the legal impediments that the sisterhood document might carry.

He said the document “is not just an expression of sentiment but an agreement” between the two cities as he pointed out the provisions embodied in it.

Cordova specifically raised his concern over the first three stipulations in the agreement, such as that “both entities will endeavor to develop comprehensive and constructive cooperation under the principle of equality and reciprocity.”

The second provision states that “both entities, based on mutual trust and respect, will encourage a variety of exchanges in fields such as human resources, including public officials and youth, agriculture, forestry, sports, culture, the economy and universities, thereby contributing positively to the progress and prosperity of the two regions.”

Third is that “individuals and teams responsible for a sister city relationship between the two regions will discuss the matters of mutual interests and ways to implement cooperative activities and projects.”

In the end, the City Council still passed the resolution granting Mayor Perdices the authority to sign the sisterhood agreement but on condition that specific activities in relation to such must be consulted with the City Council.

The agreement will remain in force for five years unless one of the parties notifies the other of its intent to terminate it.

An electronic copy of the agreement shall be signed by Jeong Gu-Buyk, mayor of Yeongdong-gun, on May 25. (PNA/Sunnex)