A delegation from Quezon City, led by Councilors Aly Medalla, Dorothy Delarmente-Bagting, and Tany Joe Calalay along with three key officials from the city government undertook a working visit to Santiago de Cali from 29 September to 2 October 2026.

 

The visit was undertaken within the framework of a sister city agreement between Quezon City and Cali under which both cities agreed to enhance their cooperation, innovation, and people-to-people exchange. Mayor Joy Belmonte of Quezon City and Mayor Alejandro Eder of Cali signed the agreement in 2025.

 

As part of their visit, Councilor Medalla and her delegation participated in the Smart City Expo Cali 2026 where they shared Quezon City’s experience in urban innovation and sustainable city development with other leaders, practitioners and private partners from around the world.

 

The delegation also held a series of meetings with their Cali counterparts, particularly with Cali CityLab on civic and urban innovation and the Concejo Municipal de Cali on local governance and legislative cooperation.

 

Cali introduced the Quezon City delegation to Yawa, the Center for Science, Art and Technology, a public facility opened in 2024 that positions the city as a creative technology hub.

Cali also briefed the group on Graficalia, an urban art festival and social prevention program which promotes peace and citizen culture through mural art. Finally the cities engaged in an exchange of knowledge and good practices on disaster risk reduction and management.

 

Participants from both cities expressed their intention to translate their discussions into concrete initiatives across innovation, culture, and resilience, and to keep working together.

 

The Philippine Embassy in Bogotá welcomed the visit as a meaningful contribution to the enduring friendship between the Philippines and Colombia as both countries commemorate their 80 years of diplomatic relations this year. -END-