MANILA, Philippines — A coalition of mayors from Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands began a busy agenda yesterday in a visit to cement a formal relationship with their counterparts in the cities that make up at the bustling Metro Manila, a press release said.
 Seventeen public officials from Guam and the CNMI, including several vice mayors, council members and spouses, are among the 60-strong group that is being hosted this week by government officials, hospitals and businesses in Manila. Guam Sen. Rory Respicio, D-Agana Heights, and several businessmen from Guam also joined the group.
“The people of Guam and the CNMI stand to benefit in many ways from this special relationship between mayors’ offices,” said Guam’s Agana Heights Mayor Paul M. McDonald, who heads the Guam delegation. “Being on the front line at the local level gives mayors perspectives of small government and the immediate needs of their neighbors.”
The key event of the assembly of mayors will be an official signing of the preamble for the Association of Pacific Island Local Governments today, followed by adoption of rules and procedures and bylaws for the association, which has been operating informally for the past two years. An election for standing committees will follow. Metro Manila is made up of 16 cities and the president of the association is Jose L. Atienza Jr., mayor of Manila.
The highlight of the trip will be a tour of Malacanang Palace, the official residence of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, this morning, with a courtesy call on the president.
Tom Flores, president of the T Factory, whose shop is in Asan, Guam, does business with a sportswear vendor in Manila, and traveled with the delegation for the opportunity to meet with the Philippine Department of Commerce and to see the first-rate medical facilities close up. “Most small businesses on Guam can’t afford gold plans for their employees, so finding affordable health and wellness programs closer to home makes sense.”
The mayors group, which arrived in Manila on Saturday and Sunday, attended Mass on Sunday at Dona Jovita Resort in Laguna, and then met with Mayor Cesear Perez for a city tour of Los Banos. Dinner on Sunday was hosted by Metro Bank at Gerry’s Grill in Makati.
The mayors’ association agenda includes:
* A roundtable discussion yesterday with the Metro Manila Development Authority about solid waste, flood mitigation and management of parks and recreational areas.
* A visit to Marikina City Hall yesterday to see Mayor Maria L. Fernando, who is wife of the chairman of MMDA. The city of Marikina has received national and international awards for steps taken to protect the environment. Marikina is regarded as the cleanest city in the Philippines and has an aggressive recycling system.
* Meetings today with the secretaries of Tourism and Agriculture.
* Visit on Wednesday to St. Luke’s Hospital to talk about emergency-basis Medicare and Medically Indigent Program coverage for Guam residents, and to Medical City to tour the newest hospital in the Manila area.
* Meeting on Thursday with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Association of Pacific Island Local Governments was formed as a loose affiliation of mayors in Guam, the CNMI and Metro Manila in 2005. The purpose of the group goes beyond a sister-city relationship. Objectives of the association are to establish networks in education, health care, agriculture and commerce for the common benefit of the Philippines and the Mariana Islands.
A growth objective of the association is to reach out to local government officials in Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. The Philippine mayors pointed out that those islands have many Filipino residents and common interests.
In 2008, Guam will host the second general assembly of the Association of Pacific Island Local Governments. The date will be decided at the business meeting of this year’s assembly today.