Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Gerard Ho Wei Hong, who paid a courtesy call on the mayor on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 at the Cebu City Hall, told Rama that “whatever it is you’re working on or interested to know how we’re doing it, we’re happy to share our experiences.”
Rama showed the Singapore-inspired promotional videos that the Cebu City Government has been using to push the mayor’s vision for the city to attain the status of Singapore, a Southeast Asian city-state that is one of the progressive countries in the world.
Hong mentioned that in the aspects of digitalization of systems like intelligent traffic, bettering water systems and other facets of development, they are ready to support through companies that could help Cebu City if the need arises.
Rama said housing projects in the city will also be approached “aggressively,” patterned to the highly developed housing system of Singapore.
The ambassador also said that being from a country that had undergone the same challenges that Cebu City is going through, they are willing to extend any form of help they could offer.
“We have made a lot of mistakes, and we learned from it,” Hong said.
Rama first introduced the vision of a Singapore-like Cebu City during his inaugural address on June 30, 2022.
“This is not impossible. This is not far-fetched. This is achievable… Journey with me (as we) transform Cebu City into a Singapore-like (city). Clean, green, orderly and disciplined,” he said in his inaugural address.
Rama gave a symbolic token to Hong, a golden key that “opens all doors” in Cebu City, including a miniature of the Magellan’s Cross Pavilion as a keepsake.