MANILA, Philippines - Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte lauded yesterday President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) for clearly defining the direction where he wants the country to go and how he intends to take it there.
“I am particularly pleased with the President’s declared objective of pursuing a policy of “inclusive growth” that will purposely aim for the social transformation and economic uplift of the disadvantaged sector of our people,” Villafuerte said.
This policy, Villafuerte said, contrasts sharply with our inclination in the past to unduly rely on the unrealistic trickle-down effect of economic growth that only brought frustrations and unfulfilled expectations to the people.
“I also find it gratifying that in the SONA, President Aquino expressed a desire to give tourism a more vigorous push. This is because under my watch, tourism has been a major contributor to the growth of Camarines Sur and our province has, in fact, replaced Boracay as the No. 1 tourist destination in the Philippines,” the governor added.
He also pointed to agricultural development as another focal point in the achievements of the Aquino administration.
“As governor of a rice producing province, I must say that the reduction in rice imports from 2.4 million tons last year to just 860,000 tons this year and to only 500,000 tons next year can only translate to greater benefits for areas like Camarines Sur. This is because the National Food Administration (NFA) will now be sourcing the greater part of its rice supply from local farmers,” Villafuerte enthused.
He said the added income that will accrue to farmers could encourage more people to engage in farming, rather than flock to Metro Manila in search of work that is often hard to find.
This could ultimately translate to greater employment for those in the rural areas and further reduce the unemployment rate that the one-year-old Aquino administration has effectively brought down to 7.2 percent from eight percent during the past administration.