Screengrab from RTVM
MANILA (UPDATE)— Camarines Sur's provincial board has passed a resolution declaring President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as the province's "adopted son," its governor said on Thursday.
Camarines Sur Governor Luigi Villafuerte made the announcement during Marcos' visit to launch several projects in the stronghold of his defeated 2022 election rival, former Vice President Leni Robredo.
In presenting the provincial board resolution ahead of the groundbreaking of the administration's housing projects in Naga City, Villafuerte cited Marcos' calamity assistance to the province.
"Maraming kalamidad din po ang napagdaanan ng ating probinsya na nagbigay po ng tulong at personal na bumisita ang ating pangulo," Villafuerte said.
"Kahit wala po siya noon sa pwesto, tumulong siya at bumisita, kagaya po ng pagbisita niya matapos ang pagdaan ni Typhoon Niña noong 2017," he added.
(Our President visited and extended help during several calamities in our province. Even when he was not yet in office, he helped, like when he visited during the onslaught of Typhoon Niña in 2017.)
In 2018, then Davao City mayor and now Vice President Sara Duterte was also declared as the province's adopted daughter.
'HAPPY TO BE HERE'
Marcos said he was happy to visit Camarines Sur, his first in recent years.
"The tribute of support that people are showing and enthusiasm, I hope they can see kung ano man ang pinangako namin nung kampanya, talagang sinusubukan naming itupad lahat ng aming sinasabi at pinag-usapan," Marcos told reporters in a chance interview.
He added that as much as possible, he wanted to assess the situation on the ground so he would know if the reports coming to him are accurate.
"I am happy to be here, to be able to see na marami na yung ginagawa, that we are breaking ground dun sa mga housing project, that the 'Kadiwa' is spreading. We are now going to go to a coconut processing center so it’s good to be able to come out and actually see for yourself,"
"Nakakausap ko yung mga farmer, farmer mismo hindi yung nagrereport lang sa akin. Nakakausap ko talaga sila, ano yung ani mo, ano ang problema mo, kumusta ang patubig sa inyo, magkano ang ayuda dito, lahat ng mga tanong yun maganda at nabibigyan," he added.
During the 2022 presidential race, Robredo enjoyed a huge lead in her home province with some 870,000 votes versus Marcos' 93,000 votes.