SISTERHOOD RENEWAL. Laoag City Vice Mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas, Honululu City Council chair Tommy Waters, Laoag City Mayor Michael Keon, and Laoag City local government officer Joey Francisco (from left) sign the renewal of sisterhood agreement between Laoag City and Honululu County at the Laoag City Hall auditorium in Ilocos Norte on Monday (Feb. 26, 2024). The sisterhood ties date back to 1969. (PNA photo by Leilanie Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – The city government of Laoag renewed its sisterhood agreement with Honolulu County in Hawaii on Monday, targeted to further promote bilateral relations and allow Hawaiian-Ilocanos to rediscover their roots.
Fifteen delegates from the Honolulu City Council, led by Tyler Dos Santos-Tam of District 6, came to the signing of the renewal of the sisterhood agreement at the Laoag City Hall auditorium.
Mayor Michael Keon and members of the City Council welcomed them with a banquet lunch.
Keon, in a short speech before the formal signing of the pact, said the sisterhood agreement was first established on July 15, 1969, through Honolulu Resolution 247.
Tam said in a media interview that he looks forward to strengthening their economic ties and pushes for the return of Honolulu-Laoag flights to open up new opportunities, strengthen exchange of practices, and promote sustainable agriculture and education excellence, including tourism and cultural activities.
“We are coming into a phase where more folks from Hawaii are coming to the Philippines to invest either in real estate property or start new businesses. I also understand that there will soon be a flight from Honolulu to Laoag and that will pull up so much opportunities. Additionally, with the new flight from Laoag to Cebu, there will be a network for tourists and for kababayans coming back home to enhance Ilocos Region,” he said.
In the latter part of this year, Keon will visit Honolulu County to jointly explore and support new avenues of cooperation including, but not limited to, exchanges of information and programs in areas of climate change and resiliency, emergency preparedness and management, and sustainable agriculture, among others. (PNA)
