◆Philippine Governor Melcho Diclas and others paid a courtesy visit to President Ukita.
Release Date:
On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, a delegation led by Governor Melcho Declas of Benguet Province, Philippines, paid a visit to Hiroyuki Uketani, President of Kochi University.
Benguet Province is located in the rugged mountainous region of northern Luzon and is known for its agriculture, particularly the cultivation of highland vegetables. It established a sister-province relationship with Kochi Prefecture in 1975, and exchanges have continued over the years, including the dispatch of trainees and technical interns in the agricultural sector.
Governor Melcho Declas and his delegation have been visiting Kochi Prefecture since Sunday, July 13, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sister-state agreement. This courtesy visit was arranged because our university signed an academic exchange agreement with Benguet State University, located in that province, on Monday, February 17.
On the day of the event, President Uchida stated that it was an honor to sign an agreement with Benguet State University as a partner in glocal collaboration during the 50th anniversary year of the prefecture-state sisterhood partnership, and that he hoped this visit would serve as a meaningful opportunity for friendly exchange.
Next, Governor Melcho Declas expressed his gratitude for the welcome, and the two sides exchanged views on future cooperation.
本学からは、人文社会科学部が進める多文化共生社会の構築に関わるプロジェクトが、同州立大学との協定締結に繋がったことの紹介がありました。
ベンゲット州からは、同大学は農業分野を中心に発展してきたが、現在は医学部開設といった教育課程の拡充を進めており、より多岐に渡る分野での交流が期待されることが述べられました。
This was a valuable opportunity that is expected to help promote future exchanges between the two prefectures through inter-university collaboration.
