When I stepped into my multiple role as Mayor of San Juan City, President of the Metro Manila Council and National President of the League of Cities of the Philippines, I committed myself to a vision of governance built on connection and collaboration.

Our country may be an archipelago, but geography should never become a barrier to good governance. My recent Visayas mission across Cebu, Bohol, Capiz, and Iloilo showed how much local chief executives can achieve through shared vision and steady collaboration.

A central part of the four-province mission was strengthening our network of local government partnerships through formal sisterhood agreements. These pacts are more than symbols of goodwill. They create channels for public service exchange, policy learning, and innovative approaches to development that can contribute to long-term economic growth.

In Cebu, during a simultaneous sisterhood signing ceremony led by Governor Pam Baricuatro at the Cebu Provincial Capitol, I signed sisterhood agreements with Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, Talisay City Mayor Samsam Gullas, and Governor Baricuatro, herself, for the Province of Cebu. Having established connections with such urban cities gives us an immediate channel of public service exchange and policy learning between Metro Manila and the Visayas.

In the Municipality of Dumanjug, we expanded this cooperative network into Cebu’s seventh congressional district by forging individual pacts with eight southern municipalities: with Mayor Gungun Gica of Dumanjug, Mayor Fritz Lastimoso of Alcantara, Mayor Gilberto Magallon of Alegria, Mayor Jerome Librando of Badian, Mayor Roy Vincent Singco of Ginatilan, Mayor Erlinda Piedad of Malabuyoc, Mayor Inocentes Cabaron of Moalboal, and Mayor Chantilli of Ronda.

Through these partnerships, we can exchange urban management strategies while learning from their coastal resilience.

We also joined Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Cindi King-Chan in a community outreach activity supporting children with special needs. After the program, we held the League of Cities of the Philippines National Executive Board Meeting and Visayas Cluster Consultation, bringing together city leaders from all over the country to discuss matters affecting our local governments and strengthen our collective efforts in advancing the interests of our cities.

In Tagbilaran City, we formalized a Sisterhood Agreement with the city headed by Mayor Jane Yap which paves the way for the exchange of best practices in local governance. During our visit, I was surprised to meet a Barangay Captain named Francis Zamora and a Councilor named Nerio Zamora II, there are apparently so many Zamoras in Bohol!

A few days later, we returned to the Province of Bohol to sign a Sisterhood Agreement with Governor Aris Aumentado. Aside from strengthening our partnership through the Sisterhood Agreement, we also visited the National Museum of the Philippines-Bohol and learned more about the province’s rich history and heritage. We then joined the celebration of the Sandugo Festival, celebrating Bohol’s culture and traditions.

In Capiz, I joined Mayor Ronnie Dadivas at the historic Dinggoy Roxas Civic Center to formalize a partnership focused on innovation and sustainable community development.

In Iloilo, I attended Iloilo’s Liga Day 2026, wherein 15,000 barangay officials from across the province gathered to strengthen local governance at the grassroots level. During the event, the turnover of support under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Bawat Barangay Makikinabang Program was held for priority infrastructure projects, as well as Presidential scholarships for students. These initiatives bring government programs closer to our communities and strengthen our barangays at the grassroots level, creating more opportunities and responding to the needs of our people.

As National President of the League of Cities of the Philippines, it is my duty to help ensure that national policies become accessible resources for local governments. During our consultations in Cebu, Bohol, Capiz, and Iloilo, we focused on helping our fellow local chief executives access national government support faster and with fewer unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles.

Among our priorities was optimizing allocations under the Local Government Support Fund to help cities finance rice distribution and priority infrastructure projects. We also discussed opportunities under the National Classroom Building Program to accelerate school construction and improve educational spaces for our students. Serving as an active bridge between national agencies and local governments, we advocate for LGU needs so no locality gets left behind in our collective push for nation building.

Beyond the official meetings, the journey was also a meaningful experience for my wife, Keri, and I. We were deeply impressed by the rich heritage and genuine warmth of the Visayan people.

We visited the Cebu Technological University Dumanjug Campus, which produced Engr. Rico Quiñones who ranked No. 1 in the March 2026 Civil Engineering Licensure Examination. From Cebu, we continued our journey to Bohol, where Keri and I went to Panglao to discover and appreciate more of the beauty of Bohol.

From Bohol, we headed to Roxas City, and upon our arrival, Keri and I enjoyed fresh local seafood at Bitoy’s Restaurant, where we were warmly welcomed by Mayor Ronnie Dadivas and the restaurant’s owner, Dr. Munich Conlu. We walked along Baybay Beach and took in more of the coastal beauty that makes Capiz famous throughout the country. We were joined by Manaoag, Pangasinan Mayor Ming Rosario and his wife, Twiggy, who is from Roxas City.

In Iloilo, aside from offering prayers at the historic Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral, Keri and I also visited Agatona 1927 Museum Café, where we took time to appreciate Iloilo’s rich heritage and culture. We also enjoyed some of Iloilo’s local favorites, including Pancit Molo in Kap Ising’s and Roberto’s famous Queen siopao.

From tasting authentic local dishes to experiencing the energy of thousands of barangay leaders during Iloilo’s Liga Day, Visayan hospitality stood out everywhere we went.

This journey reaffirmed that empowerment happens when local leaders support each other and exchange proven practices. I assure our sister cities in the Visayas that we will continue to forge alliances that empower our local communities to achieve sustainable growth and national transformation that truly benefit our citizens because it is what our people deserve.