BAGUIO CITY, Benguet—Sisterhood ties were being forged between this city and Nazareth in Israel, which millions of Catholic Filipinos consider a holy place where Jesus Christ spent his childhood, Mayor Mauricio Domogan said on Thursday.
He said the issue was brought up during the visit of Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ephraim Ben Matityau to the area and he paid a courtesy call on the mayor at the Baguio City Hall.
“Formalizing sisterhood ties with Nazareth can aggressively promote cultural, educational, social and economic ties, which the city can benefit from considering their advance knowledge in modern technology,” Domogan said.
Matityau arrived in the province last Wednesday to formalize Israeli links with Benguet State University as channel for its support for agro-forestry projects. Israel offered scholarships for students, farmers and agriculturists on agro-forestry and technology transfer on terraces farming.
Matityau offered twinning ties and Baguio officials were eager to accept. But the city council will have to pass a resolution to formalize the relationship.
Domogan said Baguio’s sister city with Israel would foster friendship, understanding of cultures and encourage trade and tourism between the two cities.
“Nazareth is almost similar to Baguio because it also has a mountainous topography,” Domogan said.
Matityau served as deputy consul general in Toronto, Canada, deputy ambassador in Nicoria-Cyprus, consul-director of Israel’s academic affairs in the United States, consul general to east Australia, and acting ambassador to Ethiopia.
Baguio city has twinning relationships with the cities of Hanyu, Japan; Hangzhao, China; Taebek and Gong Jo, South Korea; Vallejo, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii.