The delegation from Rustavi City—the first Georgian local government delegation to the Philippines and Asia—led by Rustavi Council Deputy Chairman Gocha Shavadze and Honorary Georgian Consul Thelmo Cunanan Jr., and joined by Teona Galogra, Head of Rustavi Economics Department; Rustavi Councilors Merab Sulaberidze and Davit Skhirtladze; and Georgian Consulate Public Relations Director Melissa Dizon, paid a formal courtesy call on Santiago Mayor Joseph Salvador Tan. Together with Cauayan, Santiago forms the third party in the tripartite sister-city agreement of Rustavi.
The group was warmly received over breakfast by Mayor Tan and his councilors, who engaged the Georgians in meaningful dialogue on ways and means to increase cooperation between the two cities. Mayor Tan expressed eagerness to visit Rustavi in 2016, a sentiment echoed earlier by Mayor Bernard Faustino Dy of Cauayan. “I am very happy that the Georgian delegation has come to my city. Together, we will do our best to make our relations stronger,” said Mayor Tan. “Special thanks to Consul Cunanan for arranging this historic relationship.”
After the breakfast meeting, the members of the Georgian delegation were the honoured guests at the 6th Indigenous Peoples Day of the Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Santiago City, where they met members of the different tribes of the province that have made their homes in Santiago City. Aside from the interaction and picture taking, the Georgians, together with Mayor Tan and his councilors, also participated in a traditional native festival dance.
