CEBU – The business community of Barcelona, Spain is set to visit Cebu on a trade mission and explore investment possibilities after sisterhood ties were forged between the two places.

“Cebu is one of the main interests (of our visit),” said Joseph Ma. Cervera, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce’s Director for Area of Business Internationalization, “and we would like to share new prospects on economic growth.”

He said his group are particularly interested in working with the province in businesses in context of a proposal that would transform the entire island into an economic zone, and on such specific major infrastructure projects as airports and seaports.

Cervera expressed such interest after a speech delivered by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who is currently in Barcelona with other key provincial officials to attend a forum dubbed Opprtunidades de Negocio en Filipinas or Business Opportunities in the Philippines.

Said forum is part of activities organized by the V Tribuna España-Filipinas, attended by around 200 people, mostly Spanish businessmen.

The Tribuna España-Filipinas is a yearly forum held alternately in Spain and in the Philippines during which representatives from business, government, civil society and the academe from both countries meet to explore possible areas of cooperation.

In her presentation, Garcia stressed that Cebu is a natural port and “the most accessible place to and from all points in the country, with more domestic air and sea linkages” than in Manila.
She also discussed a proposal to soon be acted by Congress which would make the whole island of Cebu a special economic zone.

She also pointed out that currently, Cebu is the number one province in the country with an economic growth faster than that of the entire country.

After her speech, Garcia and Barcelona Provincial Council Chairman Antoni Fogue Moya signed a sister province agreement aimed at fostering both provinces’cultural heritage, economic dynamism, social progressiveness and environmental aspects.

Garcia’s Chief of Staff, Elizabeth Francia said it was the provincial government of Barcelona that sought out a sisterhood agreement with Cebu.

In his speech before the signing, Moya said even if Cebu and Barcelona are miles away, there are many things both provinces can cooperate and work on.

For her part, Garcia said Cebu and Barcelona have rekindled the relationship and close ties of the Philippines and Spain which started four centuries ago.

Objectives of said sisterhood agreement is the active fostering of friendly exchange between both places which would contribute to an improvement of understanding between residents of both Cebu and Barcelona and the stimulation of exchange visits to advance commerce, industry, agriculture, science, technology and sports between them both.

Signing of said agreement also saw the creation of a monitoring commission represented by both parties which will meet once yearly to ensure that the agreement’s provisions are complied with.

Cebu’s other sister provinces include Gangwon, South Korea; Guam, USA; St. Petersburg, Russia; Sichuan, Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang of China and Ljubljana, Slovenia.