Cebu, East Java tie up

JAKARTA (JP): The Philippine province of Cebu will open a trade office in East Java's provincial capital of Surabaya to promote trade links between the provinces, the Philippine ambassador to Indonesia said.

Leonides T. Cadey told The Jakarta Post after meeting with East Java governor Imam Utomo on Thursday that the trade office would be established to supplement their sister-province cooperation agreement.

He did not disclose when the agreement was signed.

Cebu initially planned to open the office in 1997 but dropped the plan due to the economic crisis which struck the region in mid-1997, Cadey said.

He said the provinces would be able to help each other in various fields, including computer and agricultural technology. (nur/jsk)