URDANETA CITY – The city or Urdaneta will formalize its sister city relations with Ordezia City in Spain with the formal signing of the accord in that city by the first week of December.

Urdaneta City Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. will sign the agreement with Ordezia (Spain) Mayor Sta. Maria Ezia, to be witnessed by the President of Bilbao in Spain.

The mayor of Ordezia was in Urdaneta City last week where he presented a resolution of the Ordezia city council manifesting the intention of their city to link up with Urdaneta City.

The signing will coincide with the 500th birth anniversary of Fr. Andres de Urdaneta, a favorite son of Ordezia, from whom the former pueblo of Urdaneta in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines was named.

Perez said he will leave for Spain on December 1 to be in the signing of the historic document.

He is leaving ahead of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other members of the Philippine delegation who are also attending the 500th birthday anniversary of Fr. Urdaneta.

Fr. Urdaneta was with Miguel Lopez de Legaspi when he came to the Philippines. A writer and historian, Fr. Urdaneta was navigator of Legaspi’s ship.

Perez said the city council as well as the people of Urdaneta authorized him to represent Urdaneta City in that big celebration in Spain.

He said a sisterhood relationship of Urdaneta with Ordezia will be a big boon to the two cities.

Perez said he is looking forward for possible cultural and student exchanges for both cities since each operate their own universities. (PNA)