Suisun City gets sister city

From Daily Republic
By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - Suisun City got a new sister city, the Filipino town of Naguilian La Union, and kicked off formal relations Tuesday.

Representatives of Naguilian La Union in the Philippines started their first sister city tour with a signing and reception at the Suisun City Council chamber.

Both Suisun City Mayor Jim Spering and Naguilian La Union Mayor Reynaldo Flores shared a table which held the flags of both the United States and the Philippines as they signed the documents formalizing the relationship.

"It is an honor to have you here," Spering told Flores. "We hope to visit your town soon."

Flores returned the complement, saying "we are looking forward to many areas of cooperation with Suisun City" that range from how to provide public services to systems of governance.

The idea of creating a sister city bond came from local resident Aurelia Joven, whose hometown is Naguilian La Union, located on the Philippines' main island of Luzon.

This initial visit will last six days, with Flores and others starting off with tours of the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District facilities and the Solano Irrigation District's Cement Hill Water Treatment plant.

Flores asked to examine these facilities to take back ideas for improving his town's infrastructure.

All the stops will be pulled out Saturday night when the city and the Filipino-American community host a Proclamation Night celebration at the Joe Nelson Community Center.

The evening will include singing national anthems, speeches by both mayors, exchanging of gifts and entertainment that will include Filipino folk dances.

The visit will wrap up on Monday with a boat tour of the Suisun Slough and Suisun Bay as well as discussing the future of the sister city relationship.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.