Ph Envoy To Portugal Pushes Ties Between Dumaguete City, Coimbra

Philippine Ambassador to the Portugal Philippe Lhuillier discusses with the Mayor of Coimbra, Portugal the proposed sister-city agreement with Dumaguete City during his courtesy visit to the mayor recently.

Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe Lhuillier paid a courtesy call on the Mayor of Coimbra, Portugal recently to discuss the details of a possible sister-city agreement between Dumaguete City and Coimbra.

The two cities, both boasting of their heritage as hosts of centuries-old educational institutions—Silliman University and University of Coimbra—also promotes tourism, which plays an important role in the development of both cities.

Aside from the historical aspect, both Dumaguete City and Coimbra host information technology and business process outsourcing (BPO) centers, which further boosts employment and development in their respective cities.

During the meeting, Coimbra Mayor Manuel Machado is open to the possibility of establishing cooperation between the two cities, which will open the doors for a possible collaboration between the cities’ premier research and educational institutions, which will redound to the benefit of the students for both schools.

“I am hopeful that the cities of Coimbra and Dumaguete will advance with the agreement. This will bring a lot of development in the areas of education, business, tourism, culture, and people-to-people engagement. I believe this will be most beneficial for the people of both cities,” Ambassador Lhuillier said.