Davao City and Sennan City of Japan agreed to enter into a sisterhood agreement by signing a Memorandum of Intention (MOI).
Davao City Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte and Sennan City Mayor Yamamoto Yuma signed a MOI signifying their commitment to pursue the sisterhood agreement between the two cities on November 29, 2022 during the courtesy visit of Yamamoto to Duterte.
Yamamoto was in Davao City from November 28 to 30, 2022, together with a 10-man delegation from Sennan and Osaka Prefecture.
“As per the Memorandum of Intent, the intention came from both mayors,” Dayap said.
“In order to promote friendship and understanding, Davao City of the Republic of the Philippines and Sennan City, Japan, recognize the need to jointly work on the basis of equality and mutual benefits. Subject to authorization of the Davao City Council in so far as Davao City is concerned, both parties shall actively carry out exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, tourism, health, sports, and culture,” the MOI reads.
April Marie Dayap, officer-in-charge of the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC), said it was Sennan City that signified its intention to form a sisterhood agreement with Davao City.
Dayap told Edge Davao that in 2019, former Mayor Isato Takenaka of Sennan City wrote to the city government of Davao expressing his wish to partner with the city in several areas.
“After close coordination and online meetings with Sennan City Hall officials, now headed by its new mayor, Yamamoto Yuma, the strong interest of Sennan in education, tourism and economic sectors were established as areas for further discussion,” Dayap said.
In its Facebook Page, DCIPC shared that during the courtesy visit, the two mayors discussed possible collaborations in the areas of education, investment and tourism, smart city and people to people cooperation.
It also shared that both mayors also expressed their desire of having a direct flight from Davao to Osaka in the near future.
The sisterhood agreement between Davao City and Sennan City was approved by the Davao City International Relations Board last November 15, 2022 and is now being processed for the City Council to pass a resolution to authorize Duterte to sign the agreement.
“Through sisterhood agreements, we can come up with cooperations and collaborative programs in key areas like education, trade, tourism, and health that will benefit both Davao and Sennan,” Dayap said.
