THE LOCAL government, through Acting Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte, hosted its sister cities and other foreign dignitaries during the Kadayawan Festival to explore new opportunities for trade, investments, culture, and education.
Among the distinguished guests were Mr. Eyos Rudimch, Governor of the Koror State Government in Palau; Hon. Yamamoto Yuma, Mayor of Sennan City Government in Japan; Mr. Zheng Feng, Deputy Secretary-General of the Dalian Municipal People’s Government in China; and Ms. Ria J. Jumawan Johnson, Tacoma Sister Cities Co-Chair from the Tacoma City Government in the USA.
Also present were representatives from foreign chambers and the private sector, including delegates from South Korea, Russia, Singapore, as well as Fuzhou City and Nanning City in China, and Japan.
The courtesy meeting on Aug. 15 was part of Invest Davao: Kadayawan Global Connect 2025, a three-day event organized by the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC).
DCIPC said 113 foreign delegates were in attendance: 32 from foreign companies, with 90 local companies in Davao.
DCIPC head April Marie Dayap said inviting more foreign delegates and guests will help position the city as an area of investment.
“Especially the investors to network with them, and we can build relationships with them so that they can see potential opportunities where they can put their capital and investment here in Davao,” she said.
The event, she added, was able to showcase the city’s tourism and investment potentials to the world.
In his speech, Duterte thanked the delegates for gracing the city with the festivities of the Kadayawan Festival.
“Our sister cities are extremely vital, but creating opportunities to bridge other communities and establish new linkages is also meaningful,” Duterte said.
The acting mayor urged the foreign delegates to see the city as a bridge to explore shared interests and build alliances.
“Regardless of various backgrounds, we all share the same goal to bring prosperity, stability, and peace in our respective communities, and the best way to do this is to learn from each other and support one another,” he added.
Duterte hinted at bringing in more sister city accords in the future, following the discussions during business meetings.
At present, the city has a sister city pact with the County of Kaua’i, Hawaii, USA. For Asian countries, the city has an agreement with Tai’an City and Jinjiang City of the People’s Republic of China and Kitakyushu City, Senan City, and Hamamatsu City of Japan.
Photo courtesy of City Government of Davao
