‘Liveable Cities LocalLabs’ launched

The Liveable Cities Philippines and the League of Cities of the Philippines, in partnership with Globe Telecom, on Wednesday launched “Liveable Cities LocalLabs” that features the good practices, innovations and appropriate technology of cities across the country.

During the first of the series that top bills Batangas province, keynote speaker and Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas revealed before hundreds of online guests, 53.2 percent of whom were viewers from Luzon area, through Zoom presentation the plans and accomplishments of his home province.

Mandanas spoke about the fast economic growth of Batangas City, the “Industrial Port City of Calabarzon.”

Calabarzon groups the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.

Batangas City, he said, is the home of Batangas International Port, one of the busiest passenger and container terminals in the Philippines next to Manila International Port Terminal.

In the city, according to the governor, stand the largest oil refineries in the country, three natural-gas power plants and several other major industries.

In addition, Mandanas said, the city has the largest state university in the region, The Batangas State University; has an industrial park; and is the transportation center of the province (350,000 population as of 2020).

He is now promoting the HELP (Health, Education, Livelihood and Protection) program with the support of every mayor and barangay (village) chairman of the province and the business-friendly governance.

Batangas, Mandanas said, also supports the Green Energy Program that enables households to buy energy from renewable sources.

Also present at the webinar were Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Peter Maquera of Globe Telecom, Saturnino Belen of First Asia Venture Capital and Batangas City Mayor Beverley Rose Dimacuha.

The event was hosted by Bily Luz, with Suiee Suarez as moderator.