Victorias City officials and department heads visited Nanjo City,
Okinawa-Prefecture in Japan upon friendly invitation for cultural exchange and
partnership last Nov. 22 – 28.
The delegation was headed by Mayor Francis Frederick Palanca along
with Vice Mayor Jerry Jover, City Administrator Paul Ricardo Palanca, City
Planning and Development Officer Evangeline Alo and partnership coordinator
Mari Kurata, project manager of IKAW-AKO Japan – Negros Partnership for
Environmental Protection. The team was joined by businessman Mr. June David
Palanca
The trip to Nanjo facilitated the delegation to witness the
simultaneous festivals being held annually in Nanjo City namely the National
Herb Summit/Festival, Art Festival and Open Garden Festival which significantly
contribute to the influx of tourists of
1 million to 2.5 million a year in Nanjo City alone and 6 million in Okinawa.
The National Herb Summit, now on its 21st year, is an
annual festival in Japan which promotes products from herbs ranging from fresh
and processed food, beverages, tea, wine, oil, personal care, and souvenir
items, among others and for the first time was hosted by Nanjo City.
The Art Festival on the other hand is where Japanese artists’
houses become an art gallery, product display and selling area of art works
such as pottery, paintings, handcrafted souvenir items and hand painted cards
open for tourists.
The Autumn Open Garden which showcased 21 landscapes of greens,
flowers and bonsai destinations all over Nanjo City were visited by Victorias
delegation during the tour.
During the first day, Victorias City delegation paid a courtesy
call with Nanjo City Mayor Keishun Koja and presented a resolution from the
Victorias City Sangguniang Panlungsod inviting Nanjo City for a sister
cityhood. Afterwhich, they toured Nakazen Corporation to witness the processing
of Noni Juice and attended the Herb Summit Festival at the Misaki Park Place.
A dialogue with the medicinal herbs experts and the officials,
businessmen, academe took place during one of their dinner meetings after they
visited several light decoration stores. They also went to the Open Garden and
Peninsular Art Festival, Direct Sales Depot along Osato Keibin Station,
Sashikikishinkai.
An interchange between Victorias City, Nanjo City, Lequiowings,
Consul General of the Philippines, JICA Okinawa and the Chief Director of
Yuinchi took place to discuss possible partnership and exchange of ideas on
developmental projects.
The delegation also had meaningful interaction with agricultural
dealers and fishery as they went to the Taragawa Rice Wine Brewer, Mozuko
Processing in Okutakejima, Hananoka Village, Okinawa Bireley’s Factory and had
a meeting with the Body of Commerce and Industry and the Association of
Tourism.
The mutual exchange proved
beneficial to the cities of Nanjo, Victorias and other NGOs, as they discussed
and deeply discovered each city’s investment potentials and appreciate the
beauty of their distinct cultures, resulting to an eventual tie-up /partnership
for various development projects to be supported by JICA Okinawa which they
have initially discussed on a seven-year implementation.
