22 February 2012 – The Philippine Embassy in Madrid reported that a 14-man delegation, headed by Undersecretary Austere A. Panadero of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), called on Ambassador Carlos C. Salinas yesterday, 21 February.
The delegation composed of DILG and Local Governance Academy (LGA) officials and mayors from the Bicol and CARAGA regions are visiting Madrid and Sevilla on a study tour sponsored by the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID).
During the courtesy call, the delegation briefed the Ambassador about the results of their meetings with Spanish government agencies and groups such as the Ministry of Finance and Local Administration and the Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), as well as informing the Ambassador about the latest developments within their respective cities and municipalities.
For his part, Ambasssador Salinas assured the delegation of the Embassy´s continued support for their local initiatives and assistance should they wish to do projects with the Spanish government and private companies.
The study tour is part of the AECID-LGA’s Strengthening Local Government Philippines (SLGP) project. The aim of the study tour is to share Spain´s experience with government decentralization as well as provide opportunities for participants to identify new projects and explore new areas of cooperation, including possible sister-city agreements.