ShareThisSAN PEDRO, LAGUNA-– Local government officials of Guam were urged to invest in Laguna, one of the country’s more progressive provinces in terms of infrastructure and telecommunications facilities, and highly skilled manpower that ensures “solid returns” on capital investments.
Gov. E. R. Ejercito
Gov. E. R. Ejercito made the call during the signing of the “historic” Sisterhood Agreements between the Municipality of San Pedro and eight towns of Guam held at the San Pedro Astrodome in the Pacita Complex here.
Ejercito told the Guam’s local executives that Laguna is the best place in the Philippines where to pour in investments because of its stable peace and order situation, good roads, well maintained power companies, available transport facilities, and highly skilled and educated manpower, among others.
The province is where Laguna Lake, Asia’s s third biggest fresh water lake, is located; has a man-made lake in Caliraya where visitors and guests could go sporting; three power companies that supply sufficient electricity to business firms and residential homes.
Laguna is location of multinational companies, large manufacturing corporations, and even medium and small-scale industries owned by foreigners and local businessmen, he added.
The signing rites was witnessed by Governor Ejercito and wife Pagsanjan Mayor Maita Gomez Ejercito, who is also president of the Laguna Mayor’s League; Philippine Ambassador to Japan, Belen Anota; mayors of 23 towns in Laguna; their vice mayors; 20 barangay chairmen of San Pedro; officials of Senior Citizens associations, Homeowners Associations, non-government organizations, division and section chiefs of the Municipality of San Pedro, among others.
Signing the sisterhood agreement were San Pedro Mayor Calixto R. Cataquiz, main proponent and host of the historical event; and Guam Mayors Vicente San Nicolas of Asan-Maina; Jessie Palican of Barrigada; Ernst Chargualaf of Merizo; Vicente Gumatatao of Piti; Dale Alvarez of Santa Rita; Roke Blas of Sinajana; Vicente Taitague of Talofofo; Louise Rivera of Tamuning-Tumon-Hamon; and Angel R. Sablan, executive director of the Mayor’s Council of Guam, also head of the delegation.
Two of Guam’s local executive are full-blooded Filipinos, while some of the wives of the town chiefs are half-Filipinos.
Highlighting the signing rites was the exchange of tokens of friendship between the Laguna officials and counterparts from Guam. Governor Ejercito down to the mayors, vice mayors and municipal councilors participated in the exchange of tokens that made the occasion all the more historic.
Mayor Angel R. Sablan donated P48, 000 for projects of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (San Pedro branch), He said the meager amount is only the initial, vowing that officials from Guam will come back soon to extend more assistance to San Pedro and other towns of Laguna.
Under the sisterhood agreement, the Municipality of San Pedro and the eight towns of Guam agreed to develop cooperative projects involving labor and employment, trade, commerce and investments, education and health, tourism, culture and arts, technical cooperation, and disaster risk reduction management.