Mayor of Butuan Ronnie Vincente Lagnada from the Philippines led a delegation to visit Taichung City Government today (October 17), and they were received by Deputy Mayor Bruce Linghu. Both parties exchanged opinions in regard to issues such as city governance, disaster prevention, and smart city. According to Deputy Mayor Linghu, Taiwan holds a close economic, trade and cultural relationship with the Philippines, and it is hoped that Taichung and Butuan will become friendly cities in the future in order to facilitate further interactions and collaborations in diverse fields.
Deputy Mayor Linghu first welcomed Butuan Mayor Ronnie Vincente Lagnada and the delegation to Taichung on behalf of Mayor Shiow-yen Lu. He suggested that Taiwan holds a close economic, trade and cultural relationship with the Philippines, and there are many Taiwanese businesses in the Philippines. He prayed that no severe damages were sustained by the local community during the earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines yesterday.
Deputy Mayor Linghu indicated that Butuan is a beautiful city with a seaport, airport, and abundant natural and tourism resources. With a population of 2.81 million and strategically located in central Taiwan, Taichung is the second-largest city in the country; boasting a seaport and airport, the city offers convenient transport, and there are direct flights connecting Taichung and the Philippines. Since Taichung City has already become a sister city of Makati in the Philippines, he hopes to form a friendly city relationship with Butuan in the future.
According to Butuan Mayor Ronnie Vincente Lagnada, Taichung is a fantastic city. Situated on Mindanao in the southern Philippines, Butuan is blessed with rich natural and cultural resources, and its climatic conditions are similar to Taiwan, albeit the temperature is slightly higher. Butuan is currently vigorously aiming to become a sustainable and livable city, and it is hoped to engage in further exchanges and collaborations with Taichung City in the future.
Since Butuan is also pushing to develop its smart city infrastructure, Mayor Ronnie Vincente Lagnada also visited the Taichung City Information Management Center today. He expressed immense interest in Taichung City's SOP in responding to natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes and proposed that an MOU can be signed between the 2 cities to facilitate a long-term exchange partnership.
The Secretariat commented that Butuan is a major city in Mindanao, Philippines, and it is also the regional center of the Caraga Administrative Region in the north. With an area of 816.62km2 and population of approximately 360,000, the city's primary agricultural products include rice, banana, coconut, fowl, shrimps, and milkfish. In addition, it also has other industries such as food processing, woodworking, furniture, shipbuilding, and construction.
The city was founded in 1901. From 1940 to 1970, the city's thriving forests attracted a large number of logging companies to invest in the logging industry, earning it the name of Timber City of the South. In recent years, the city's primary income comes from SMEs and investments in large shopping malls.
Butuan Mayor Ronnie Vincente Lagnada and other delates were welcomed personally by Deputy Mayor Linghu, Cultural Affairs Bureau Senior Specialist Su-chiu Chen, Fire Bureau Senior Technical Specialist Chun-kai Yang, and Information Management Center Director Hui-min Huang amid a cordial and warm atmosphere.