VILLA DEL REY, Capitol Complex, Cam. Sur – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in her keynote address to the 2nd General Assembly of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) hosted by Gov. LRay Villafuerte and the province of Camarines Sur, highlighted the innovative efforts of the youthful governor in job generation, basic healthcare, unique opportunities for education, and tourism master planning which all the other local government units (LGUs) may look up to as a development model.

        Held for the first time in Camarines Sur February 13, 2008, the assembly turned out a record number of chief executives – 49 governors – in attendance including some noted local governance personalities like Cebu’s Gov. Gwen Garcia, Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin of Abra, Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay, and Gov. Rene Dominguez of Sarangani Province.

        Prior to the arrival of the president, the league, thru the initiation of Gov. LRay Villafuerte and Gov. Loreto Leo S. Ocampos of Misamis Occidental, LPP national chairman and president, respectively, unanimously approved to draft a Manifesto of Support for the Arroyo government which was presented to the president moments before she delivered her keynote address. The manifesto undoubtedly pleased the president as it was a morale booster for the latter in the light of the recent news developments claiming irregularities in government transactions in her administration.

        In her keynote address the president underscored the level of stability the present economy has achieved as the 2007 national government deficit only registered P9.4B against an expected high of P6.3B, with total revenues amounting to P1.13T, P15.9B more than the target, interest payments declining by 14% and posting P36.5B in savings, thus allowing the government to spend more especially for infrastructure to sustain a higher growth rate in 2008.

        Elucidating on the present level of maturity and diversity of the country’s economy, the president cited the establishment of the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC) as well as the operation of Sutherland in Camarines Sur as things not even thought of some ten years ago.

        CWC, now a veritable haven for tourists as well as extreme sports enthusiasts, and Sutherland’s operations with at least 350 workstations manned by locally hired employees at the Camarines Sur IT Park are, among others, business ventures of the provincial government as a local government unit, conceived and realized under Gov. LRay Villafuerte’s administration.