DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio sealed on Monday friendship agreements with Jinjiang City of China and Kaua'i County of Hawaii.
"The agreements we entered today show that Davao City is friends with everyone," Duterte-Carpio said.
In a simple program yesterday, Duterte-Carpio thanked Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., for visiting the city last year and initiating the certificate, which paved the way of signing of the agreement.
"Davao City always welcomes opportunities to establish and push linkages that would strengthen our relations with different cities. It is our responsibility to make sure we become open to different cultures so we have a wider perspective on how we can improve our services to the community," she said.
Carvalho in his speech cited that they came one year later because they deem it important to continue the relationship of the Davao City and Kaua'i, which have similarities with each other in terms of the ocean, the land, and agriculture.
Carvalho added that they seek to have open communicative atmosphere to encourage heightened exchange of ideas particularly in tourism and culture, agriculture, trade among others.
"We want to exchange tourism practices and cultural techniques we never forget that we strengthen the bond we have for the visitors and enhance the life of our communities. To share methods to attract visitors, which include the promotion and presentation of our own respective cultures," Calvalho added.
Mayor Carvalho said tourism and agriculture, particularly coffee and cacao farming and production, could be just two of the areas where Davao and Kaua'i could work together.
"I think agriculture is a big, big connection to how we look forward," he said. "The other part of it is tourism. Just seeing the layout of Davao and, of course, Kaua'i, the source of opportunities for us visitors is for our families to visit here and stay with our families here. Those are two from me."
Duterte-Carpio also separately signed a Letter of Intent with Jinjiang City of China for the establishment of a friendly relationship. The LOI is expected to serve as a testament that will further cement the likelihood of establishing a sisterhood agreement between the two cities in the future.
"The city welcomes the creation of a new tie with Jinjiang City, which will hopefully pave the way for an exchange in various fields mutually beneficial to both our cities," she said in a statement made at the presence of the Chinese delegation, headed by Jinjiang City Deputy Mayor Li Zili.
Duterte-Carpio said the signing of the LOI for the establishment of a friendly relationship between Davao and Jinjiang city also showed that distance and difference in culture and language are not obstacles to attain unity in diversity. KVC with City Information Office