February 14, 2008 | 12:00am
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has plans to visit Guam along with some mayors of Cebu sometime April this year coinciding with the First Pacific Mayor’s Conference that Guam will be hosting.
At least 200 mayors and vice mayors from the Philippines, Saipan, Rota, Tinian and Palau will attend the four-day conference, and Garcia has seen this as an opportunity to promote Cebu to them.
Garcia, according to the provincial government’s website, has even planned to extend financial support to the League of Mayors in the Philippines so that more mayors from Cebu will be able to attend the conference and help her promote Cebu.
She also wanted to “take with her members of the Provincial Board,” to have a strong force from Cebu “to explore future partnerships with the Territory of Guam.”
The governor’s visit is intended to strengthen economic ties between Cebu and Guam, a territory of the United States in the Pacific area, said the Capitol.
The Capitol further stated that, earlier this year, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Garcia and Guam’s Lt. Gov. Michael Cruz for a sisterhood agreement between the two governments. Guam Governor Felix Camacho had also invited Garcia for the signing of a memorandum of agreement on the matter.
Garcia had seen better opportunities out of Cebu’s linkage with Guam, one of which is the export of labor or skilled manpower to Guam, which has been preparing for a $20 billion buildup of military infrastructure.
Cebu will be the best choice for sourcing of about 25,000 skilled workers for this project because it is near Guam and most Cebuanos can speak English, the governor was quoted in the Capitol’s website. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/RAE
