WELCOME DINNER. The city government of Davao welcomes Singapore President Halimah Yacob and other Singaporean delegates through a dinner with various provincial and local government officials present Tuesday evening (September 10). The lady President visited the city as part of her five-day State visit in the Philippines from September 8-12, 2019. (PNA Photo by Che Palicte)
DAVAO CITY -- Singapore is eyeing to forge various partnerships with the city government, especially on infrastructure developments, President Halimah Yacob said during the welcome dinner for her here on Tuesday evening,
Yacob said Singapore and Davao City have many things in common and that increasing city-to-city links can be beneficial for both areas in terms of business and other areas of partnership.
“This presents many opportunities for us to work together in areas like infrastructure development and sustainable solutions,” the Singaporean president said.
In her message, Yacob affirmed the "strong synergies for economic cooperation and business partnership in many industry sectors and geographical locations across the Philippines".
“We enjoyed excellent times here in the Philippines. From the meetings I had in Manila with President Rodrigo Duterte, he gave us the potentials of deeper cooperation not just in the national level but also in Singapore and key cities in the Philippines like Davao,” Yacob said.
For her part, Mayor Sara Z. Duterte said that President Yacob’s visit honored the 50 years friendship between the country and Singapore.
“This visit stamps another milestone in our history. Let us look forward to fruitful exchanges for the betterment and benefits both of our nations,” Sara said.
She added: “We are one with you as our countries seek mutual development through friendship and enhance cooperation.” Also during the dinner reception, she thanked the Singaporean delegation for coming to the city.
In response, Yacob said: “This has been such an enjoyable evening, I’m indeed very happy to be here in Davao. The cultural presentation of the 11 tribes showcased Davao’s vibrant diversity and the colorful richness of the Philippines.”
The Singaporean leader visited the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) and graced the interfaith dialogue with some Mindanao youth at the Ateneo de Davao University on Wednesday (September 11).
The Singaporean President visited the city as part of her five-day state visit to the Philippines, from September 8-12, 2019. (PNA)
