General Santos City– The Clark Development Corporation (CDC) and the City Government of General Santos (GenSan) have reaffirmed their commitment to boost the promotion of local goods and products made in Clark and GenSan.
This was learned during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CDC President and CEO Manuel R. Gaerlan and GenSan Mayor Ronnel Rivera. The partnership envisions to usher in more collaboration on tourism, investment, and trade.
During his speech, Gaerlan expressed optimism on future engagements with the city government of GenSan once the pandemic situation improves.
“This pandemic caused us a lot of displacement, a lot of stress, but I hope we maintain our partnership in the future so that we will connect not only through the internet but by connecting flights,” Gaerlan added.
For his part, Rivera said that they will continue to reinforce their alliance with CDC to open up more opportunities for their respective areas.
“We never stop looking beyond our resources. We extend our efforts to introduce new developments and further enhance what we are already capable of doing,” he said.
The City Government of GenSan also signed a MoU with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA). GenSan likewise entered into a sisterhood agreement with the cities of Mabalacat, Angeles, and San Fernando, Pampanga.
Meanwhile, Subic – Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have also pledged their support for the said partnership.
During the event, it was mentioned that one of their future engagements will include the exchange of local products to promote homegrown culture, artisan and craftsmanship of all areas. This exchange is seen to strengthen collaboration and stimulate tourism activities of Clark, GenSan, and Subic.
Some of the key officials who witnessed the ceremony include CDC Office of the President -Chief-of-Staff Dennis Legaspi, GenSan City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office (CEMCDO) head Leonard Flores, South Cotabato first district Rep. Shirlyn Bañas-Nograles, and USAID-Surge project coordinator Gemma Borreros.
In 2019, the CDC and GenSan signed a letter of intent to collaborate and strengthen respective areas' ties. Their collaboration aims to improve air connectivity between the two areas by using their airports, organizing trade and business missions focused on tourism and investment, and exchanging best practices in areas like agro-industrial development and environmental protection.