The San Juan City local government and officials from Baler, Aurora inked a sisterhood agreement that aims to boost their ties and cooperation especially in the areas of tourism and environmental protection.
(Photo from Mayor Francis Zamora)
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora personally visited the province with City Councilors Paul Artadi and Ervic Vijandre.
During their stay in Baler, they met with Baler Mayor Rhett Ronan Angara, Vice Mayor Pedro Ong, Jr., Aurora Gov. Reynante Tolentino, and Rep. Rommel Angara as the executives signed the sisterhood agreement enabling the two local governments to learn from each other's best practices.
"It's an honor for us na kumbaga kami ang napipili na dalawin at maibahagi namin sa inyo ang aming best practices. As much as I can, we really try to build yung relationships with other LGUs kasi mabuti na yung marami tayong kapatid as an LGU kasi marami tayong matututunan. So many ways we can help each other (It's an honor for us to be chosen to be visited and share our best practices. As much as I can, we really try to build relationships with other LGUs because it's better to have a lot of sibling cities and towns which enables us to learn more," Zamora said.
Zamora was also the guest of honor during Baler’s Commemorative Program for Patron Saint San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.
The mayor also toured the province's top tourist spots which includes the Sabang Beach, Ermita Hill, Zabali Hanging Bridge, the Church of Baler, and the home of former President Manuel L. Quezon.
San Juan City has since been a role model in introducing programs and initiatives aimed at protecting the environment, promoting sustainability, and expanding the tourism sector.
These include the launching of the "Kuha sa Tingi" project aimed at mitigating plastic pollution, promoting cycling as an alternative form of transportation that also minimizes pollution, waste management and segregation solutions, and the creation of the San Juan EcoBridge project which is Metro Manila's very first first footbridge beautified using sustainable recycled materials.
For the tourism sector, the city government spearheaded the preservation of the the El Deposito and creation of the Museo El Deposito managed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the preservation of the Pinaglabanan Shrine, and other city historical sites.