LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government recently renewed its sisterhood ties with Minamimaki-mura Nagano Prefecture of Japan to bolster their socio-cultural exchange that will aggressively promote growth and development in their respective jurisdictions.
The renewal of the sisterhood ties between the two local governments in time for its 10th anniversary was forged by Mayor Romeo K. Salda representing La Trinidad and Mayor Yoshito Arisaka of Minamimaki-mura Nagano Prefecture during simple rites held in Japan.
“We want to strengthen our sisterhood ties with Minamimaki-mura so that we can bolster our socio-cultural exchange and sustain our town’s growth and development. We want that more of our brothers and sisters from Japan will frequent our municipality to enhance our local tourism industry aside from spurring our economic ties,” Mayor Salda stressed.
Minamimaki-mura, Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,924 individuals and 1,091 households as of 2019. It has a population density of 22 persons per kilometer. The total area of the said village is 133.09 square kilometers or 41.39 square miles.
Salda and some members of the municipal government flew to Japan for the signing of the said sisterhood agreement to reciprocate the significant contributions of the village to the robust growth and development of the municipality over the past ten years since the signing of the twinning relationship.
According to the mayor, La Trinidad will gain from the sisterhood relationship with the expected enhanced technological exchanges, especially on agriculture, to help boost the town’s agriculture industry and contribute in spurring the local economy.
The local chief executive expressed hope that La Trinidad will be able to forge more sisterhood ties with similarly situated cities and municipalities in the different parts of Japan in the future so that the municipality will be able to avail of whatever available assistance that they will be able to extend to the locality for the benefit of the robust growth of the agriculture and industrial sectors.
The renewed sisterhood agreement will be submitted to the municipal council for confirmation and ready for eventual implementation for another 10 years.
La Trinidad has sisterhood relationships with different cities and municipalities in Malaysia, Guam, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries that has serves and is serving as a pivotal factor in the sustained growth and development in the municipality over the past several decades.
Moreover, the capital is being groomed as a component city of Benguet following its ability to comply with the requirements of land area, income and population although it will have difficulties in complying with the land area requirement of at least 10,000 hectares as its land area is only approximately 8,000 hectares.
The only remedy for La Trinidad to be able to comply with this lacking requirement is for the passage of a law that will declare all capital towns that are not yet cities to be converted to component cities for its realization pursuant to existing rules and regulations.
Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan assured the all-out support of the municipal council to the desired confirmation of the renewed sisterhood agreement because it will surely translate to the desired sustained growth and development of the municipality in the future. By Dexter A. See
