SILAY City Mayor Mark Golez was welcomed in a reception dinner with Mayor Dennis Wright of City of Livonia in Michigan, USA held at the residence of Madonna University president Michael Grandillo on July 16.
Silay and the university have a partnership. School administrators, faculty, students, and medical volunteers of Madonna University come to Silay in Negros Occidental every year to conduct medical missions and do community service with displaced and underprivileged families.
Dr. Connie Tingson-Gatuz, a distinguished Filipino-American, who is the vice president of Madonna University has deep ties with Silay, being the hometown of her parents.
Tingson-Gatuz and her husband Ryan Gatuz, who hails from Bacolod City, welcomed Golez during the dinner, where the Silay mayor spoke before Wright and other city officials, officials of Madonna University, the city court judge, and prominent families and donors.
In his speech, Golez thanked generous donors of Livonia, who donate medical supplies and equipment, clothing, and toys to Silay every year.
Golez extended an invitation to the people of Livonia to visit Silay and experience a unique historical journey in its ancestral houses.
He also mentioned the ongoing investments in the city such as the Magic Island amusement park, Gaisano City mall, and Sta. Lucia Realty Estates residential project.
Upon the invitation of Wright, Golez visited the Livonia City Hall and toured the Madonna University campus.
“This is a start of a very good relationship,” the Silay mayor said. (PR)