25/07/2025
‘INFRASTRACTURE-READY, INNOVATION-READY’: CAMARINES SUR OPEN FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS
Camarines Sur Governor LRay Villafuerte said during a top-level international forum in the United Kingdom (UK) that his province is ready to accept foreign investors.
“Camarines Sur is open for business,” Villafuerte told a gathering of policymakers, business leaders, academics, and diplomats in a forum co-organized by the Philippine Embassy in London and the University College London (UCL) Centre for Sustainable Business last July 14.
“We are investor-ready, infrastructure-ready, and innovation-ready … and our provincial government believes in cutting red tape, not corners. We invite you to partner with us. To grow with us,” he added.
Villafuerte noted the great opportunities for investors to set up shop in the Philippines through the public-private partnership (PPP), especially in the booming sectors such as the development of renewables and other green ventures amid the global push for decarbonization and the switch to clean energy.
He said that Camarines Sur is at the heart of superb investment prospects, given its rise as the country’s renewable energy (RE) capital and its status as a trailblazer of the PPP mode for joint partnerships between local government units (LGUs) and the private sector.
During his inaugural address as governor last month, Villafuerte outlined the province’s vision for “a smarter, greener, healthier and more connected CamSur.”
“We are laying fiber networks across the province. We are training our youth in AI (artificial intelligence) and digital technologies. We are rolling out free WiFi in schools and barangays, and we are turning rural communities into future-ready communities,” he said.
Villafuerte noted that Camarines Sur was “the first province in the Philippines to pass a local PPP ordinance—way back in 2010. We created a stable, transparent, and investor-friendly environment long before PPP became a national buzzword.”
“We’ve made it easier, safer, and smarter to invest in the Philippines—and especially in CamSur … where the PPP is a governing principle,” he added.
He pointed out that the “government alone cannot do it all” and “If we truly want inclusive growth, if we want to build smarter, greener, and more resilient communities, we must bring the private sector to the table—not as contractors, but as partners.”
In a forum, Villafuerte said that one “concrete and compelling example of an ideal PPP system” is last year’s partnership between the Camarines Sur provincial government and Veragon Technologies, an Italian company whose patented air-to-water technology transforms humidity into clean, mineralized drinking water.
“In a province where many communities still lack access to safe water, this PPP was a game-changer,” he said.
“But it wasn’t just about installing machines. It was a full PPP model as the CamSur LGU built the manufacturing facility and provided regulatory support, logistics, and infrastructure, while Veragon operated it under a rental agreement and hired and trained the local workers,” he added.
He said that there are at least 16 projects for wind energy development in the province, including the P163-billion project of Danish investment firm CIP, which is poised to become the country’s first and largest offshore wind farm with a capacity of one gigawatt.
The governor also cited during the forum the Philippines’ evolving business climate that is now more conducive to investments with the approval of several laws.
Villafuerte mentioned the amended Public Service Act, which allows 100% foreign ownership in key sectors; the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act Law, which provides lower taxes and fiscal incentives for strategic investors; and the Ease of Doing Business Act, which streamlines permits and processes. He is among the authors of these laws.
