Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz hailed the local government of Manila recently for maintaining close and friendly relations with its sister cities in China.

Florcruz expressed his gratitude during a courtesy visit made to the Philippine Embassy in Beijing by the Manila delegation headed by City Administrator Bernardito "Bernie" Ang.

Ang expressed the positive response of the Manila local government headed by Mayor Honey Lacuna, in the interest of certain cities in China to revive their sister-city relationship with the Philippines' capital city.

Joining Ang in the visit were Manila Chinatown Development Council Executive Director Willord Chua, Universidad de Manila President Dr. Felma Carlos-Tria, UdM Director for Quality Assurance, Accreditation, Compliance and Linkages Dr. Rejan L. Tadeo and Director for Information and Communications Technology Emmanuel Gatdula, among others.

Ang told Florcruz that almost every month, secretaries-general of provinces in China get in touch with the Manila city government for the re-establishment of sister-city ties as in fact, the local government already made it possible with the provinces of Fuzhou, Chongqing and Guangzhou, with a number more in the works.

He also told Florcruz that the resumption of sister-city agreements with Manila local government unit stems from the fact that Guangzhou, for instance, is the first sister city that Manila had.

According to Ang, no less than the influential and revered chairman Mao Ze Dong told then First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, wife of the late President Ferdinand Marcos and mother of current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,  that he wants Manila to be the sister city of Guangzhou.

Ang noted that the 47-year-anniversary of the relationship between Manila and Guangzhou will be in November, adding that while the relationship contained in a formal accord was signed in 1982, the relationship between the two cities actually began in 1975, during the visit made by First Lady Imelda Marcos to China.

At this point, Ang told Florcruz that Marshall Louis Alferez, consul-general of the Philippines in Guangzhou, was doing a very good job.  Alferez was on hand to welcome the Manila delegation during a visit made in Guangzhou months ago.