Cebu City Renews Sister-city Ties with Australian City

The Cebu City Government has renewed its sister-city ties with Parramatta City in Australia.

Parramatta, a suburb and major business district in metropolitan Sydney, Australia, is located 23 kilometers west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, who just arrived from a three-day trip to Australia, said the city’s ties with Parramatta has been dormant for several years.

Rama said Parramatta officials will visit Cebu City during next year’s Sinulog celebration.

Rama said Parramatta will be reactivating its projects with the city, which include business exchanges, cultural and youth exchanges, sharing of technical expertise in different fields and sharing of best practices.

Rama said among the best practices is Parramatta’s establishment of a catchment to address its flooding problem.

He said his office is planning to pursue such project, but will give the details in his State of the City Address next month.

Earlier, city officials said some PHP10 million worth of water catchments will be installed in the city’s 31 mountain villages to hold water during the rainy season to prevent flooding and store water for the use of farmers during the dry season. (PNA) CTB/EB/EDS