Tourism, rice top Arroyo agenda in visits to Camarines Sur, Albay

MANILA, Philippines - Tourism and rice will top President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's agenda as she visits Camarines Sur and Albay provinces in Bicol on Monday and Tuesday. A Malacañang statement Sunday said Mrs Arroyo will inaugurate at Pili town in Camarines Sur Monday the third branch of the Sutherland Global Services. Sutherland Global Services is a New York-based business process outsourcing (BPO) firm in Pili town. Other Sutherland Global Services offices are in Makati and at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. "The biggest BPO locator at the Camarines Sur Information Technology (IT) Park, Sutherland Global Services is also the first local government unit (LGU)-initiated IT project in the Bicol Region," the Palace statement said. It would initially have 500 seats, but would be expanded to 2,000 seats six months after its formal opening Monday. From Pili, Mrs Arroyo will proceed to Sipocot to inspect the proposed site of the asphalt overlay and re-blocking project of that portion of the Andaya Highway within the boundary of Sipocot town. The project will be bidded out on May 16, and construction will start next month. Mrs Arroyo will also visit Lahuy Island to ceremonially switch on the power button to signal the energization of the island dubbed as another "Boracay in the making." Some 3,000 island residents will benefit from the Arroyo administration's rural electrification program. The 10-kilometer Lahuy Island is famous for its white pukka shells and coral-embellished sand, and its seas are a rich habitat for assorted marine wildlife. From Lahuy Island, Mrs Arroyo will proceed to Caramoan Island, another potential tourist destination in the region. The island boasts of white sandy beaches, limestone hills, rock formations and caves. On the second day of her Bicol trip, Mrs Arroyo will visit Albay province to consult with various sectors on various concerns, including rice production and supply and food self-sufficiency. - GMANews.TV