Camarines Sur and Ilocos Norte Inks Sister Province Ties

Call it reciprocity. One good act in exchange for another. South meets north.

Officials of Camarines Sur and Ilocos Norte entered into a sister province ties the past weekend. Governor L-Ray Villafuerte signed the agreement with governor Ma. Imelda Josefa (Imee) Marcos on September 10, last week.

Together with other government officials and the Camarines Sur chamber of commerce Villafuerte’s delegation met their respective counterparts, including the Ilocos Norte chamber of commerce, on a development mission for trade and economic exchange, among others.

Part of the sister province ties objective is to hasten cooperation and exchange program on tourism, agriculture and technology between the two provinces.

During the signing ceremony, Villafuerte expressed his gratitude to the governor’s father, the former president Ferdinand Marcos, for the realization of the Maharlika highway that traverses the Bicol peninsula which effectively connects the region to metro Manila.

The provincial government of Camarines Sur also turned over to Ilocos Norte a donation of P300 thousand pesos as typhoon relief aid.

The signing ceremony became an occasion for the Ilocos Norte governor to clarify her stand on the division of CamSur into two provinces. Governor Imee said that “there is no more division and that’s that.” This statement was construed as the new official stand of the lady governor. “We have no new room for a new province,” she expressed.

Villafuerte in turn said he wanted to pass a resolution exhorting that (Ferdinand) Marcos’ burial place should be the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Villafuerte is the vice chairman of the governors’ league of the Philippines.

September 11th was the birth anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos. Many supporters arrived by bus loads at the city of Batac where the body of the deposed president still lies in state.

Governor Villafuerte was a family guest during the celebration.

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5 thoughts on “Camarines Sur and Ilocos Norte Inks Sister Province Ties”

  1. could be a political play. or perhaps, he was keen on establishing ties with ilocos. expanding horizon, etc. we really can not go deep into their psyche.

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