Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile renewed his commitment to strengthen development in his home province of Cagayan and in the “Solid North” by bringing in foreign investments, as his kababayan excitedly greeted him during his campaign tour of the region over the weekend ahead of the May polls.
“My foremost objective is to bring more investments here to boost growth in the industries of agriculture, food production, and manufacturing,” Enrile vowed during his rally with voters in Tuguegarao City, who pledged to drum up support for his bid to return to the Senate in the midterm elections.
“For instance, the growth of infrastructure, our tilapia industry, fruit industry, and tourism here is continuous, but we need to keep the momentum going. More capital will bring in more jobs, higher income, and more opportunities for all of you,” he said.
The Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) candidate vowed to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution once elected to the Senate, to bring in more investments to the Ilocos Region. This would create more jobs, drive up consumption, and fast-track economic progress in the region.
“Many of who you work in Metro Manila or abroad don’t have to leave anymore, because your livelihood will be here,” the former Senate President said.
The veteran lawmaker also recalled his childhood growing up in the region.
“My mother was the stepdaughter of a fisherman here in Gonzaga, in Cagayan, where I was born. Since I was born in 1924, so many things have changed here in the North. There’s progress,” Enrile recalled.
“But the people are still burdened by the high prices of goods, the taxes imposed on fuel and other primary commodities, the cost of transportation and electricity. All of these things I intend to investigate and address in the Senate,” he told supporters.
