Cebu city: Cebu City and Himamaylan City have established sisterhood ties to promote cooperation in governance and development initiatives, and to share programs and best practices. The sisterhood agreement was signed by Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival and Himamaylan City Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson Jr. in a ceremony held at Shangri-La Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City.

According to Philippines News Agency, Tongson expressed gratitude in a Facebook post, thanking Archival for his friendship and openness to building a partnership with the southern Negros city. "The two cities will move forward as sisters, carrying one shared promise: to turn this partnership into progress that our people can see, feel, and carry into the future," he said.

Tongson highlighted that the partnership will facilitate cooperation and knowledge exchange in multiple areas of governance, including tourism, trade, education, health, urban development, environmental protection, culture, sports, and social services. He emphasized the potential to share experiences and adopt innovative ideas to strengthen services for the people of Himamaylan.

Expressing commitment to the new alliance, Tongson conveyed optimism that the sisterhood agreement will open avenues for cooperation, innovation, and substantial exchanges that will benefit both cities. "We will strive to make this sisterhood fruitful and felt by our people through concrete programs and opportunities," he remarked in the vernacular.

In a separate Facebook post, Archival articulated Cebu City's eagerness to collaborate with Himamaylan City on various initiatives, including governance, environmental protection, tourism, culture, disaster resilience, and economic development, aiming to uplift their communities. "Kini nga kasabutan dili lang pirma sa usa ka dokumento. It is a commitment to work together, share best practices, strengthen local governance, and create more opportunities that will benefit our people," he stated.

The signing of the sisterhood agreement was attended by Grace Sheila Avanzado, executive director of the Cebu Sister Cities Commission, and engineer Jovil Zayco, local government relations unit officer of Himamaylan City.