𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫

From June 22-27, the Mariveles Delegation consisting of five municipal councilors, visited Kaohsiung City in Taiwan. This visit brought together local government leaders, development practitioners, and international partners to explore practical approaches and create meaningful partnerships that can contribute to the long-term development of Mariveles, the Province of Bataan, and the Philippines as a whole.

Led by Hon. Jester Ivan Ricafrente, and joined by Hon. Angelito Rubia, Hon. Ronald Arcenal, Hon. Jeff Penaloza, and Hon. Danilo Banal, the delegation was able to explore Kaohsiung City’s innovations in governance, smart agriculture, rural education systems, healthcare delivery, industrial development, and sustainable community transformations.

The delegation visited key locations in Kaohsiung that highlight the innovations of the city, such as: the Kaohsiung City Government - Sihwei Administrative Center where the delegates were briefed on how Kaohsiung institutionalizes evidence-based governance and their transition to e-governance, the Kaohsiung Intelligent Transport Center where the Mariveles delegation had a glimpse of how a highly-urbanized city like Kaohsiung manages traffic systems through their advanced real-time command center, and Neipu Elementary School in Pingtung County where quality public education integrates Hakka culture and digital learning.

One of the highlights of the learning tour was the visit to Pingtung Christian Hospital, which demonstrated how Artificial Intelligence is used efficiently in clinical decision support, diagnostic assistance, and patient monitoring as a hospital in a secondary provincial capital, similar to Mariveles’s demographic profile.

The tour was not only an exploration of Kaohsiung City, but also a way for the Mariveles Delegation to see and explore the innovations and realize the possibilities for Mariveles with the right reforms, strong political will, and projects.