Three Bacolod officials are attending a series of high-level international events in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia until Aug. 14.
Councilor Caesar Distrito is attending in behalf of Mayor Greg Gasataya. He was joined by Dr. Mary Jean Ramos, head of the City Planning and Development Office, and Dr. Anna Laarni Pornan, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
The ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum (ASUF), the ASEAN Governors and Mayors Forum (AGMF), and the Meeting of Governors and Mayors of ASEAN Capitals are in line with Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship, Distrito said in a press release.
The gatherings will focus on the unifying theme, “ASEAN Future Cities and Regions: Inclusivity and Sustainability”, highlighting forward-thinking visions for sustainable and inclusive development in ASEAN cities, he added.
The Bacolod delegation will also join a site visit to the Enviro Park that features their landfill, ecopark and power plant, attend the “Empowering City Leaders on Disaster Risk Reduction & Access to Climate Finance” official meetings, as well as dialogues, open forums, training sessions, city programs, and technical visits.
They will also make a presentation of 3R and Sanitary Landfill Management under the Bacolod Integrated Recovery and Recycling Techno Hub project, Distrito said.
Airfare ticket and other expense were sponsored by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) for the Bacolod delegation.
“I am honored to represent Mayor Greg and the people of Bacolod in this important ASEAN platform,” Distrito said. “This is an opportunity to learn from other leaders, share our city’s best practices, and build partnerships that will help us plan a more inclusive and sustainable future.”
Atty. Distrito had previously represented then Mayor Albee Benitez in Germany in a similar international gathering together with Ramos and Pornan, also sponsored also by UCLG and GIZ.
The Kuala Lumpur events are organized by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia, in collaboration with Urbanice Malaysia, and supported by the ASEAN Secretariat. They are co-convened by UCLG Asia Pacific and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. ||
