Camille Villar champions tourism, infrastructure to boost CAR progress
Senatorial candidate Camille Villar.
ITOGON, Benguet — Millennial senatorial candidate Camille Villar underscored the vital role of tourism and infrastructure in driving economic progress for the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) as she delivered her keynote address at the 113th Founding Anniversary of Itogon on Thursday.
“Benguet possesses enormous potential as a premier tourism destination,” Villar said, applauding the town’s rich history, vibrant culture and natural attractions. She vowed to champion projects that would further promote Benguet and the wider CAR as must-visit locales, both for domestic travelers and international tourists.
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Highlighting recent road improvements, Villar pointed to the completion of the Labey-Lacamen Road Project in Tublay and the BLISTT Outer Ring Circumferential Road (linking Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay) as transformative developments that have slashed travel times between northern Cordillera and the Cagayan Valley. “These roads now make it far easier for Filipinos to enjoy the Atok Flower Gardens, the Sagada Caves and the famed La Trinidad Strawberry Farms,” she noted.
Newly inaugurated bypass
Villar also touted the newly inaugurated bypass road between Kennon Road and Loakan Airport—dubbed the “Great Wall of Baguio City”—for improving access to key regional hubs. “Better connectivity opens up livelihoods, encourages investment and ensures our resources can be enjoyed by more people,” she said.
In addition to transport infrastructure, Villar pledged to sustain environmental and agricultural initiatives spearheaded by her mother, Senator Cynthia Villar, including grants for composting facilities in eight of Benguet’s thirteen municipalities. “I will be your voice in the Senate, working to continue the projects you need not only for Itogon but for the growth of our entire nation,” she affirmed in Ilocano and Filipino.
During her visit, Villar conferred with a broad coalition of CAR leaders—among them Governor Melchor Diclas, Vice Governor Rose Fongwan, Representative Eric Yap and the mayors of Buguias, Kapangan, Tuba, Atok, Tublay, Bakun, La Trinidad, Itogon, Kabayan, Kibungan and Sablan—at a regional summit in La Trinidad.
Villar, the youngest candidate on the senatorial slate, has centered her platform on livelihood and job creation, alongside women’s empowerment, gender equality and expanded access to education. She has also pressed for comprehensive housing and infrastructure programs to support sustainable growth across the archipelago in the run-up to May’s national elections.
