Three members of the Republic of Ecuador’s National Assembly visited the Control Yuan Oct. 30, 2017, to gain a better understanding of the ROC’s supervision system. Reps. Luis Fernando Torres, Patricia Ivonne Henríquez Jaime de Ugarte, and José Francisco Asán Wonsamg, who are in Taiwan at the invitation of the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were accompanied by Diego L. Chou, director general of the Ministry’s Foreign Affairs’ Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs. The distinguished visitors were received by CY President Chang Po-ya and Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Hai-Chuan. During their discussion, the legislators expressed admiration for the ROC’s constitutional system and were impressed by the functions and powers of the Control Yuan. CY President Chang gave a brief introduction of the ombudsman system in Taiwan, pointing out that the Control Yuan’s main responsibilities include supervising government to ensure good governance and the protection of human rights. It also works with the National Audit Office in reviewing and examining government expenditures. National Assembly Member Torres pointed out that the Republic of Ecuador’s Constitution promulgated in 2008 established a fifth branch of government – namely the transparency and social control branch, in addition to the executive, legislative, judicial and electoral branches. The fifth branch is composed of four separate entities, including the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control, the People’s Ombudsman Office, the Office of the Comptroller General, and the superintendents. However, Torres noted, the fifth branch’s powers are not as independent as those of the Control Yuan defined in the ROC Constitution. The result is that Ecuador’s ombudsman system is not as effective as it could be and that there is room for improvement in order to prevent corruption. The Ecuadorian lawmakers expressed much interest in the procedures for handling people’s complaints, the public servants’ assets declaration system, and the power of audit, asking many questions about operational details and methods. In addition, they highly praised the Control Yuan’s contribution to the democratic system in Taiwan and the effectiveness of the ombudsman system in ensuring good governance.