The beautiful province of Camarines Norte is situated in the Bicol Region, bordering Camarines Sur to the South, Quezon to the West and the Philippine Sea to the North.

Camarines Norte, with more than 700,000 people, is one of the top emerging provinces in Luzon. Now, the province is embarking on connectivity and economic prosperity by developing its maritime hub and by opening its shores to local and international trade and development.

Oh, did you know that according to fellow Caviteño and Philippine Historian Dr. Manny Calairo, Camarines Norte was the first province to erect a monument in honor of our National Hero, Doctor Jose Rizal? Well, I did not know that too, until I came to the province to witness the groundbreaking of the port of Jose Panganiban, the next big thing in Camarines Norte, probably the next center of the logistics hub in South Luzon due to its strategic location.

On 19 June, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) under the leadership of its general manager, Jay Santiago, gave the go-signal for the development of the Port of Jose Panganiban, through the vision of the province’s leader, Governor Dong Padilla. I was told that this port has been a dream since 2011 for Camarines Norte to harness the power of maritime trade and maximize its water resources.

The groundbreaking of the Jose Panganiban port was attended by no other than the brother of Governor Padilla, Senator Robinhood Padilla, whom they call here “the son of Camarines Norte.”

This historical groundbreaking is expected to boost the local economy of Camarines Norte. Once this port project is completed in November 2025, it will spur the economic growth of the region and will support the planned establishment of a special economic zone in the province.

This port improvement project will not only facilitate the movement of goods and products, but will also stimulate job opportunities and open the door to local trade.

With the Jose Panganiban port, coconut by-products, iron oil, silica, copra, and the famous pili nuts will have easier access to and from Camarines Norte and to the world. The new port is expected to handle some 20,000 metric tons of foreign cargo and non-RoRo vessels in the region in the next years.

That the economic and freeport zone of Jose Panganiban will become the next economic center in the province of Camarines Norte within the next few years no longer remains in the realm of fantasy.

And, who knows, maybe the next tourism hub in Region 5? Though I haven’t visited Calaguas Island in the province I’ve heard it described as a blend of Boracay and Batanes.

Region 5 is indeed growing in terms of its agriculture and aquaculture, with Governor Padilla as the chairman of the Regional Development Council of the Bicol Region. The governor announced during the port groundbreaking that this was just Phase 1 of improvements planned for the Bicol region which will include the airport reconstruction in Daet, the 240-megawatt windmill project, and the economic zone now also in the pipeline, together with the planned expansion of DOLE Philippines in Camarines Norte.

Indeed, Camarines Norte is blessed to be in a strategic location, hence, the synergy of port access and local government intervention is the key to its economic prosperity.

With these developments, it is not only the people in Luzon that will benefit — remember the Bicol region is the common bridge towards Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Together, and with continuous support, trade, logistics and shared responsibility, these developments will have significant impact nationwide, and even worldwide because, together, we are in the same boat!