The sisterhood agreement between San Juan City and three Cebu local government units could pave the way for the exchange of education programs and other governance initiatives, with San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora emphasizing the value of sharing practices that improve public services.
Following the ceremonial signing of the partnership with Cebu Province, Cebu City and Talisay City on Tuesday, Zamora said local government collaborations become more meaningful when they result in the adoption of programs that address the needs of communities.
He highlighted San Juan City’s public education initiatives as one of the areas where the city could share its experience, citing its reported 95 percent functional literacy rate, which he said is the highest among highly urbanized cities in the country based on Philippine Statistics Authority data.
“This is something that I’m very, very proud of. San Juan is number one amongst all highly urbanized cities in the Philippines when it comes to functional literacy rate. Our rating is 95 percent,” Zamora said.
He attributed the city’s education performance to continued investments in learning support and digital infrastructure, including the distribution of tablets to public school students and the installation of fiber-optic internet access and smart television sets in classrooms.
The city also provides school uniforms, physical education uniforms, customized rubber shoes, and emergency go-bags for public school learners, according to Zamora.
Teachers receive individual laptops, while financial assistance programs are extended to students and their families.
The city government also grants incentives to honor students, graduates and teachers.
Zamora said these measures are intended to help students focus on their studies by reducing financial barriers related to education.
“Our priority is public education because we believe that a good education will give our youth a bright future,” he said.
“If we want our cities to progress, we have to really strengthen and empower our citizenry, especially our youth,” he added.
Zamora said the sisterhood agreement is not about one local government instructing another but about exchanging programs and strategies that have worked in different communities.
“In school, it is a no-no to copy. But in governance, it is good to share best practices,” he said.
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro also highlighted the importance of collaboration among local governments, saying partnerships allow communities to benefit from shared knowledge and experiences.
“The best ideas are meant to be shared, and the strongest local governments are those that choose collaboration over competition,” Baricuatro said.
She said the partnership provides opportunities for Cebu and San Juan to exchange practices in areas such as governance, public service, tourism, disaster resilience, digital transformation and economic development.
Baricuatro added that the agreement aims to produce concrete programs and long-term collaborations that would benefit residents of the participating local government units.
Photo by SBA
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