The Davao City International Relations Board is set to approve Sennan as Davao’s newest sister city, the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) said Friday.

In a statement, DCIPC officer-in-charge April Marie Dayap said a recent virtual meeting with Sennan City Hall officials discussed areas for possible collaboration that include the education, tourism and economic sectors.

“Forging the sister city relations is instrumental in the economic collaboration of both our cities,” Dayap said.

Dayap said the proposal of Sennan for a sisterhood agreement with this city was made as early as 2019, but was deferred due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Currently, the approving body, which is the Davao City International Relations Board, is awaiting additional information and documents from Sennan to finalize the approval process,” she said.

Davao City, she said, is looking forward to “people to people” exchange through education, as well as information exchange between organizations such as cooperatives, tourism associations and chambers of commerce.

Meanwhile, Itou Masaki, the representative of Sennan City government, underscored the importance of “strong economic collaboration” in the sister-city agreement between Sennan and Davao City.

“We are promoting Davao in our area as one step for possible business tie-ups,” he said.

Masaki said several education-related activities that can be offered to Dabawenyos include online learning for high school students, as well as exchange programs in partnership with national universities.

Joint economic activities, he added, can be conducted in cooperation with the Sennan Chamber of Commerce.

This city has also signed sister city agreements with eight foreign cities — Nanning and Jinjiang in China, Kitakyushu in Japan, Tacoma in Washington USA, Kaua’i in Hawaii, Manado and Bitung in Indonesia and Koror in Palau. (PNA)