Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday said he is looking into the possibility of establishing a sisterhood council in Bacolod City to ensure the maintenance of the sisterhood ties of Bacolod with other foreign cities.

Leonardia said he is also expecting a bigger delegation of balikbayans from the United States during the MassKara Festival in October, after meeting with three Ilonggo groups during his recent trip to California and Nevada.

Leonardia said his meeting with Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill, for the purpose of reviving the 12-year old sister city relationship between Bacolod and Long Beach, was set up by the Sisterhood Council, which deals with all the sisterhood relationships of Long Beach.

"This is worth pondering because even if there is a change in administration, the relationships will be continued by the body that handles them," he said. "I hope we can also put up something of that nature here," he added.

Leonardia said O'Neill welcomed the efforts to revive the sisterhood relationship and is looking forward to a very active relationship between Long Beach and Bacolod. He cited Paul Blanco and Al Denila for their help in forging the relationship.

Leonardia said he also met with the Bacolod Society in America in California. "In order to strengthen our connection with them, I will make them the liason organization where the Long Beach-Bacolod City organization is concerned," he said.

Leonardia said he, together with the Long Beach officials, met Randy Gordon, the chief executive officer and chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of Long Beach, at the World Trade Center and they agreed to give appropriate focus on the trade part of the relationship.

Leonardia said he is planning to sit down with the members local trade groups in Bacolod City and ask them what areas they could possibly explore so trade relations between Long Beach and Bacolod can be set.

Leonardia said he also met with the United Ilonggos in Burbank, California and the group, headed by Alex Meñez, pledged to donate a dump truck to the city. He also met Haydee Florentino, who heads the Kahirup Association at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, he said.

Leonardia said he made it a point to see the Ilonggo groups in the U.S. because he believes that even if they are miles away from the country, their hearts are still attached to Bacolod. "I gave them a situationer as a way of making them conscious of where they may come in, " he said.

"We cannot just depend on the resources of the city so it is best that we tap other resources especially from foreign lands if we want Bacolod to progress," Leonardia said. Because of our relationship with Keelung and with our friends from Tokyo, Japan, we were able to receive many benefits, like tourist buses, motorcycles, ambulance and dump trucks, he said.

Leonardia also emphasized that no centavo from Bacolod City was spent for his recent trip abroad and even in any of his trips in previous years.*CGS

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