Municipality of Sta. Cruz forges sisterhood pact with Davao City

The City Government of Davao recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Municipality of Sta. Cruz at the Municipal Hall Bldg., Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur on Friday, Oct. 18. 

As the 16th local sister city of Davao, government units will cooperate in the areas of (1) health, education, and social services; (2) public safety and disaster management; (3) promotion of tourism, culture, and arts; (4) environmental protection and conservation; (5) agriculture and animal shelter management; (6) gender and development practices; governance, (7) planning and human resource management system; and (8) legislative formulation, codification, and research.

The Municipality of Sta. Cruz expressed its interest in entering into a sisterhood agreement with the City Government of Davao last January 22.

The signing ceremony was led by the City Mayor of Davao, Hon. Sebastian Z. Duterte, and Sta. Cruz Municipal Mayor Jose Nelson Z. Sala, Sr. It was also attended and witnessed by Coun. Myrna G. L’Dalodo-Ortiz, Coun. Bai Hundra Cassandra Dominique N. Advincula, Coun. Al Ryan S. Alejandre, Coun. Edgar P. Ibuyan Jr., Coun. Trisha Ann J. Villafuerte, Coun. Richlyn N. Justol-Baguilod, and all the respective members of Sangguniang Bayan of Sta. Cruz.

During the event, Mayor Sebastian Duterte underscored the importance of unity and cooperation among neighboring cities, especially during the trying seasons.

“It is crucial to display unity and cooperation during these times of challenges,” Mayor Duterte said.

In the same way, Sta. Cruz Mayor Jose Sala thanked the City Government of Davao for considering the municipality as one of its sister cities. 

“Sta. Cruz might be older enough than Davao City but we have a lot of things to learn from them, especially regarding their economic development,” Mayor Sala said. 

Sta. Cruz is a first-class municipality in the province of Davao del Sur. It was founded on October 5, 1884, under Executive Order No. 249, making it the oldest city in Davao del Sur. It is a popular destination for eco- and sports tourism activities such as water tubing and hiking.

Sta. Cruz’s economy is driven by agriculture, fisheries, mining, forestry, manufacturing, power generation, and MSMEs. The municipality’s major products include coconut, banana, abaca, coffee, durian, lanzones, desiccated coconut, coco flour, banana chips, refined bleached virgin coconut oil, coco nets, beer, soda, bottled water, cement, coal power, and hydropower. Santa Cruz hosts industrial plants of large companies such as Coca-Cola Philippines Beverages Inc., Aboitiz Power (hydropower and coal plant), San Miguel Brewery (SMB), Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines (FBCOP), and San Miguel Foods Inc. – BMEG Sta. Cruz Feed Mill, among others.

The officials from both LGUs concluded the event with a plant tour inside the San Miguel Brewery, where they also met with the staff of SMB and a brief discussion meeting followed.