Bacolod gears up for sisterhood ties with Japan city

The City Government of Bacolod is now gearing up for sisterhood ties with Tahara City, Japan.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Tuesday, September 19, that visitors from Japan arrived in the city, “They are asking if Bacolod City is willing to be a sister city of Tahara City, the hometown of Lexus,” he said.

He added that they are looking for additional collaboration.

The mayor noted that Tahara City is also pushing to get more workers in Bacolod City, such as caregivers and drivers, as well as in agricultural activities in Japan.

“It’s really different when there is international sister cityhood,” Benitez said.

Through the sisterhood, he added, Bacolod could send workers to Japan for their factory and farm plantations.

Benitez stressed that they will visit Japan to check on Tahara City so they can finalize the sisterhood agreement.

He said in previous years, Bacolod City signed a sisterhood agreement with Korea, Taiwan, and the United States of America.

Dr. Frances Mae Llamas, assistant department head of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion, said a choice of the sister city is a discernment of the city or a locality.

She said that this is for Tahara City, where some of the options include building a water purification project and collaboration with the communities that will need water purification projects, adding that they also look into options to continue to grow the bioethanol production with a partnership with Tahara for the pineapple and cassava plantations.

Llamas noted that they will be working closely with the local government units that can help them on the plantation side so they can supply the need for pineapple and cassava skins for bioethanol plants.

Llamas said they also considered partnerships for human resource engagement, especially in health and allied areas.

She said Bacolod City will start developing Nihongo classes so that aside from technical skills, they will also have soft skills in preparation for deployment in Japan.

She added that they will visit Japan to check their options so that when they come back and finalize the agreements, it will be mutually beneficial.*