Public administration students, alumnus join exposure trip in Taiwan
(L-R) Dexter Lloyd Sularte, Bachelor of Science in Public Administration (BSPA) alumnus of Silliman University; Kuei Yin Chen, a senior official of the Bureau of Social Welfare of the Kaohsiung City Government in Taiwan; Kirk Patrick Pinili, second-year BSPA student; and Khryss Calimbo, fourth-year BSPA student.
Kirk Patrick Pinili and Khryss Calimbo, Public Administration students at Silliman University (SU), and Dexter Lloyd Sularte, an alumnus, joined an exposure trip to Kaohsiung, Taiwan from August 8-15, 2023 as part of the delegation of the Junior Philippine Society for Public Administration (JPSPA).
Pinili, a second-year Bachelor of Science in Public Administration (BSPA) student at the SU School of Public Affairs and Governance, is the current representative of SU in the JPSPA; while Calimbo, a fourth-year BSPA student, is the former SU representative.
Sularte, an alumnus of the BSPA program, graduated in 2022 and is an incoming Master of Public Administration student at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.
Sularte said the educational trip was made to immerse Public Administration students in the governance context of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with the aim to deepen their understanding of public administration and bilateral collaboration, develop leadership skills, and inspire social responsibility.
“We visited various sectors throughout our eight days in Kaohsiung City and exchanged conversations with senior government officials, public and civil servants, and young entrepreneurs,” said Sularte.
During the trip, participants learned about the Kaohsiung City Government’s citizen complaints management system, urban development bureau, smart city development, public social housing, and voluntary service management. They also engaged with young start-up entrepreneurs in the city about solutions to societal challenges.
Participants visited the Wanluan Township in Pingtung County, Digital Opportunities Center, Good Life Studio, Kaohsiung Public Library, Sinsing District Office, and Kaohsiung Exhibition Center.
Participants of the trip, Sularte added, also exchanged insights on topics such as urban planning, Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance, digitalization, social entrepreneurship, and economic independence of citizens.They also discussed how to improve the bilateral relationship between Taiwan and the Philippines.
The three Sillimanians represented the Central Visayas Chapter of JPSPA in the exposure trip and were joined by JPSPA members from Isabela State University, Mindanao State University, and UP Diliman.
JPSPA and the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, through the invitation of Dr. Eing Ming Wu, Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association executive director and visiting professor at UP Diliman, organized the trip.
Junior Philippine Society for Public Administration (JPSPA) delegates visit the Bureau of Social Welfare to listen to a lecture on Voluntary Service Management and how to be a good civil servant with Kuei Yin Chen, a senior official of the Bureau of Social Welfare.
JPSPA delegates visit two Li-Captains to learn about public service community building, resilience management, neighborhood safety, community lifelong learning, and voluntary service development.
JPSPA delegates visit the Sinsing District Office to learn about district administration and urban governance directly from the district supervisor and the heads of the offices.
Pinili (right) shares his learnings during their visit to the Digital Opportunities Center at Wanluan, Pintung County.
