CANDELARIA, Zambales — Two officers from the local government unit of Candelaria, Zambales joined the Philippine delegation to the Kaohsiung Smart City Expo 2026 in Taiwan on March 17-21 as part of an exchange to explore smart city solutions.

Municipal Administrator and Local Youth Development Officer Kathleen Ebilane Pulangco, along with Chebilin Farrales of the Local Youth Development Office, participated in the program aimed at promoting learning, dialogue, and collaboration on the evolving concept of smart cities.

Organized by the UP-NCPAG Center for Policy and Executive Development (CPED), Edu-Connect Southeast Asia, and Bayanihan Lab Network (BLN), the program brought together representatives from the Mindanao Development Authority, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Budget and Management, Baguio Business Club, University of the Philippines, UP National College of Public Administration and Governance, Bataan Peninsula State University, Dualtech Corp., and the Candelaria LGU.

The delegation engaged in learning sessions with key Kaohsiung city departments and gained firsthand exposure to the city’s Intelligent Transportation Bureau, 1999 Citizen Call Center, Business Permit Digitalization system, and Public Works and Parks management, which are all considered as benchmark programs in Asai-Pacific smart governance.

Anchored on the theme “Where Smart Means Livable,” the five-day exposure highlighted that smart city development is not simply about digital transformation, but about creating environments that are responsive, inclusive, ands designed to meet the needs of the people.

The experience also reinforced the value of cross-sector collaboration and knowledge exchange in building smarter, more resilient communities and gave participants new perspectives on adaptive governance and forward-thinking urban solution.

Deputy Mayor Charles Lin of the Kaohsiung City Government welcomed the Philippine delegation ahead of the Kaohsiung Smart City Summit & Expo that was held March 20-22. ▲

COVER PHOTO: The 2026 Kaohsiung Smart City Summit attracted more than 200 city representatives and institutional delegates from 19 countries. (Kaohsiungtimes.com)