Valenzuela City Mayor Weslie “Wes” Gatchalian and Cortes Municipal Mayor Josie Bonifacio on Wednesday, Aug. 17, inked a sisterhood agreement that strengthens the alliance between the city and municipality.
The Valenzuela City government said that the agreement is embodied in Resolution No. 1057, Series of 2019, that signifies the interest of the city to establish sisterhood or twinning relationship agreement with the Municipality of Cortes in the province of Surigao del Sur.
It aims to promote and enhance mutual understanding, foster meaningful technical exchange, and cooperation for sustainable development, trade and investment, tourism, information technology, human development, and culture and the arts.
“We are very much honored na maging sister city natin ang Municipality of Cortes; at Mayor (Bonifacio), makakaasa kayo na meron kayong big brother dito sa Valenzuela. We will keep a good relationship throughout the years (We are very much honored that the Municipality of Cortes will be our sister city; and Mayor (Bonifacio), you can expect that you have a big brother here in Valenzuela. We will keep a good relationship throughout the years),” Gatchalian said.
“My heartfelt gratitude to Mayor Wes for his supports. Looking forward to have all of you in our municipality in the near future,” Bonifaco said.
Bonifacio also shared that the signing of the agreement was first scheduled in April 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The local government said that the Municipality of Cortes is the 74th sister municipality of Valenzuela City.
Present at the event were Vice-Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja, Valenzuela District 1 and 2 councilors, Liga ng mga Barangay President Councilor Jonjon Bartolome, Sangunian Kabataan Federation President Goyong Serrano, and Pederasyon ng Barangay Kagawad ng Pilipinas (PBKP) head Coco Mayol.