How much tribute is needed to measure the yardstick of loyalty among friends?

In the case of City Mayor Dan Lim Thursday, the tribute he paid to a friend like former Pres. Erap Estrada came in the form of a sisterhood agreement with the hometown of the former chief executive. In his message during the signing ceremonies held Thursday at the City Hall Atrium, Mayor Lim said “for the benefit of our guests from San Juan, the mayor of Tagbilaran City has always been known for his friendship with President Erap Estrada. Despite the passing of the years, I have no intention of changing that perception,” the mayor declared. The cities of San Juan and Tagbilaran signed the “ sisters act” with their respective maytors at the helm of the ceremony. Lim recalled that when Erap was a victim of political persecution, he left no doubt that he was a friend and that he will never turn his back on the former president. “As the saying goes, walang iwanan (no leaving each other behind),” he said, which was met by thunderous applause from the San Juan delegation.

The mayor said one definition of friend that he likes most is that a friend is one who comes in when everybody has gone out. “It is therefore to no one’s surprise that this sisterhood agreement was forged between the city of San Juan and the city of Tagbilaran. Even before the agreement which between the two cities can be signed, the friendship between their two leaders has already been forged with fire,” he noted. Lim said he welcomed Mayor Ghia Gomez and Vice Mayor Francis Zamora in both his official and personal capacity. “As I mentioned briefly, I have always treasured my friendship with Pres. Erap. But I also consider it an honor to welcome the mayor not only because of that but as one fine lady mayor who has served San Juan well,” he added. Lim also revealed that the vice mayor is married to his first degree cousin. The mayor confessed that one of his dreams was to take Masters at the University of the Philippines College of Public Administration.

“By a strange twist of fate, I was instead invited as a resource person before that would materialize. Vice Mayor Zamora might find that amusing but that is the truth,” he said. Lim said that up to this point, San Juan is the only city whose mayor went on to serve as president. “To have San Juan as a sister city is therefore not just historic but also enriching,” he added. Lim said San Juan has no need for Tagbilaran for a sisterhood agreement. “By all indications, San Juan has proven all these years that it is a city that is more of an exception than a rule in a country reeling from underdevelopment and even poverty,” he noted. The mayor said that this is one clear proof that no matter how little one’s resources are, or how big the problem, things can change for the better as long as there are leaders who will stop at nothing to get things done.

“If San Juan was able to do that, there is enough reason to believe that Tagbilaran can do likewise,” he added. Lim said that just as he considers Pres. Erap as his mentor, Tagbilaran also considers San Juan as a big brother. “Tagbilaran can learn much from San Juan but there is no discounting of course that Tagbilaran also has something to share with San Juan. In a relationship such as this one, sharing is a critical factor for its durability,” he noted. Lim pointed out that Tagbilaran is making its mark in its category for small cities. Proof of this is that Tagbilaran has been adjuged no. 1 in quality of life by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center twice in its category. “Just as it is an honor for Tagbilaran to be elevated as a sister city of San Juan, even more so it is an honor for me to affix my signature beside a mayor who holds a special place in the heart of her people,” the mayor stressed.