BAGUIO CITY – Twenty students from the Yeonsu-Gu District, Incheon Metropolitan City, South Korea are here on a Student Exchange Program from January 10 to 23 with several officials and other local residents acting as their foster parents.
Baguio recently entered into a sister-city agreement with Inchon and has similar arrangements with Gongju and Taebaek cities in South Korea.
The exchange students were presented in Monday’s flag-raising ceremonies where Mayor Mauricio Domogan emphasized the importance of having sister-city relationships with local and international government units.
“We hope that the students will learn much about the city, its people and its culture,” he said.
Domogan also reminded those present that the city has a huge population of Korean nationals many of whom are contributing to Baguio’s development in various ways.
Councilor Elmer Datuin, the local legislature’s committee on tourism and special events chair, said that Baguio and its sister cities have long been in the headway of mutual development encouraging various forms of exchange in tourism, governance, investment, education, culture and the arts and environment.
In a memorandum of understanding signed between Domogan and Yeonsu-Gu District, Inchon Mayor Lee Jae- Ho, it stated that sustaining exchanges has paved a way toward expanding a network of infinite possibilities in mutual development.
“It is deemed befitting for the strengthening of ties between the cities in having a tangible exchange program in terms of education and culture particularly a Student Exchange Program,” the memorandum added./Gaby Keith#
