By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff Reporter
Laoag City—In the midst of preparations to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Sangguniang Panlungsod in the city tackled a possible sisterhood ties with Changsa City in Hunan Province in the Peoples Republic of China,
Sangguniang Panlungsod member Juan Conrado A. Respicio II authored a resolution, which Laoag Mayor Michael Marcos-Keon certified as urgent, signifying the city government’s interest in the establishment of a sisterhood relationship with the Chinese city.
Mr. Respicio disclosed that the 5th Sangguniang Panlungsod has already passed a similar resolution on July 8, 2003.
However, nothing came out of the said resolution.
In view of this, the current council decided to reiterate the same proposal today.
Mr. Respicio explained that the sisterhood will “strengthen technology exchange and cooperation in different fields of endeavor mutually beneficial to the parties as well as broaden communication channels between the two cities for their mutual benefit”.
He added that Laoag also seeks to expand its international ties in its pursuit to develop goodwill, friendship and socio-economic relations with the people of Changsa.
The sisterhood relationship will also pave the way for mutual understanding and cooperation efforts in the field of education, health, tourism, agriculture, socio-economic endeavor, environment, energy and culture and the arts, the Laoag councilor added.
Changsa is the capital and most populous city of Hunan, province of China.
Meanwhile, Laoag council member Jason Bader Perera said he is not objecting to the proposal but he asked the specific distance between Changsa and Wuhan in Hubei province, the epicenter of Covid-19.
According to Mr. Respicio, Changsa is located at the South-Central part of China and is 293 kilometers from Wuhan.
To equate, Laoag City is 216 kilometers away from the City of San Fernando in La Union,
Laoag Vice Mayor and council presiding officer Vicentito Lazo, for his part, said Mr. Marcos-Keon may be inclined to withdraw his certification as to its urgency due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Later however, Mr. Lazo said Mr. Marcos-Keon told him that the council can pass the measure but to communicate with Changsa officials to wait for the COVID-19 crisis to subside before they tackle the sisterhood proposal.
The council later passed the measure unanimously; and with Mr. Respicio’s urging was also sponsored by all council members.