BACOLOD CITY – San Juan City has established sisterhood ties with Negros Occidental and the province’s 32 local government units (LGUs), including this highly urbanized city, to share best practices in local governance and tourism development.

“It’s an honor to be received this way in Negros Occidental,” San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said in a press conference in a restaurant here Thursday night with Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives.

Together with Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and the mayors of the 32 LGUs, Zamora, president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, signed the sisterhood agreements in a ceremony held at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall earlier on Thursday.

“Ito po ay pagkakataon upang mabahagi natin sa isa’t-isa ang ating best practices, mga magagandang ginagawa po ninyo dito sa Negros Occidental gusto naming matutunan, and vice versa ‘yung mga munting nagagawa po naming sa San Juan ay nababahagi rin po naming sa aming mga lugar na dinadalaw (This is an opportunity for us to share best practices, we want to learn from you the good programs you implemented in Negros Occidental, and vice versa, the little things we did in San Juan City that we have shared to visitors),” Zamora said.

He added that the collaboration also provides an opportunity for Negros Occidental to promote Negrense products at the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City, a proposal immediately approved by Lacson.

“This is our little help to your province to introduce your products not only in San Juan but also in the entire Metro Manila,” the Metro Manila mayor said.

In terms of tourism, Zamora said San Juan City can help promote the tourist sites in Negros Occidental, and at the same time, Negrenses can also choose to visit San Juan City as well.

“These are the opportunities that have opened up simply because we have signed these agreements with all of the LGUs,” he added.

In his message, Lacson said that through the sisterhood agreement, Negros Occidental shares the same spirit of unity toward San Juan City, which “holds a special place in our nation’s history as the site of the Battle of Pinaglabanan.”

“This partnership creates an avenue for our local governments to work together in areas such as governance, economic development, tourism promotion, cultural exchange, and people-to-people engagement. More importantly, it opens opportunities for our communities to connect and grow together,” the governor said.

Lacson noted that the agreement entered into by the provincial government, with all 32 cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental, “reflects the unity of our local leaders in pursuing initiatives that bring progress and opportunity closer to our communities.”

Aside from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental comprises the cities of Bago, Cadiz, Escalante, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, La Carlota, Sagay, San Carlos, Silay, Sipalay, Talisay, and Victorias; as well as the municipalities of Binalbagan, Calatrava, Cauayan, Don Salvador Benedicto, E.B. Magalona, Hinigaran, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Isabela, La Castellana, Manapla, Murcia, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, San Enrique, Toboso, Valladolid, and Candoni.