Press Release
October 20, 2009

CamSur Gov. LRay bolts Lakas, leads mass oathtaking to Villar's NP

PILI, CAMARINES SUR--Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund "LRay" Villafuerte Jr., national chairman of the League of Provinces of the Philippines, bolted the Lakas-CMD which he served as deputy spokesman, and took oath as the latest biggest recruit of the Nacionalista Party (NP) headed Sen. Manny Villar, bringing along with him Vice-Gov. Salvio Fortuno and 296 incumbent leaders of the province.

Villar administered the oath to the governor and vice-governor, along with eight board members, nine mayors, 13 vice-mayors, 264 councilors, and 720 municipal leaders in the province in ceremonies participated in by 60,000 committed key grassroots backers clad in orange shirts at the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC).

Villafuerte said, "We believe in the leadership of Senator Villar, whose track record sets him apart from the rest of our presidential hopefuls. As the only one with a solid experience in the executive level, he will be able to govern the country from day one and achieve results. Having started from scratch and made his mark, his strength is what our calamity-torn country needs."

"We trust that Bicol, which has been neglected for a long time, will be in a better condition with Senator Villar at the helm of governance," said the governor, recipient of various awards such as the 2009 Presidential Citation for Best Practice in Tourism Development, CEO Excel Award for Local Governance, The Outstanding Young Person of the World, Tourism Entrepreneur of the Philippines, Parangal ng Bayan, and Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines for Entrepreneurship.

Villar said, "Having Gov. LRay and the people of CamSur as formidable partners in our pursuit to improve the lives of our citizens empower our efforts and delivery of results needed by the nation. I am deeply grateful for your overwhelming support."

The governor further stressed, "The Nacionalista Party is the strongest and most organized in the province, fielding candidates from the provincial down to the precinct level in the forthcoming elections."

League of Municipalities president Nabua Mayor Ferdinand Simbulan, Vice-Mayors League president Nathaniel Capucao, and Councilors League president Antonio Olaño were among those who took oath. Also present were delegations from Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Camarines Norte.

NP stalwarts Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and Albay Rep. Al Francis Bichara (2nd district), spokesmen former Reps. Gilbert Remulla, Juan Pablo "Rimpy" Bondoc, and Atty. Adel Tamano, and Col. Ariel Querubin's stepson and spokesman Jose Martin Loon attended the oathtaking rites.

Villafuerte is credited for making Camarines Sur as the undisputed most favored tourist destination in the country today, with tourist arrivals reaching 902,202 in the first six months of the year, according to the Department of Tourism report.

At the center of Villafuerte's accomplishments is the construction of CWC, the country's biggest and Asia's 2nd largest and world-class cable park, which is venue to prestigious international wakeboarding competitions. Complementing CWC as alternative tourist destination are the pristine beaches of Caramoan, which, through the development and promotional efforts of the provincial government, have been the setting for an entire season of "Koh Lanta Caramoan," the French version of the reality show "Survivor" aired across Europe with 12 million viewers.

Camarines Sur, the largest province in the Bicol region, has a voting population of over one million. It is Bicol's no. 1 and 10th placer in terms of net income as certified by the Commission on Audit 2008 report for the fiscal year 2007 as submitted by 80 provinces.

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