In a counterpart post on her Instagram account, Rachel Peters (@rachelpetersx) declared for all the world to hear–“Your girls (sic) getting hitched!” Taken a bit later in the day, with the couple wearing the same sets of clothes, the series of photos show Migz with his back turned against the camera, while Rachel, her pretty face partly shielded by Migz’s body, is looking directly into it, one bejeweled hand resting on her fiancé’s shoulder.
“She said yes” said Migz on Instagram. Photo from @migzvillafuerte
Migz, a rising star in national politics, has found a worthy future wife in the beautiful and well-spoken Rachel.Having featured both of them in the past, we at PeopleAsia are delighted at the turn of events. We’re reprinting a 2014 article on Migz, a former PeopleAsia Men Who Matter awardee, titled “Governor on the Go” by Denise Roco.
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As of this writing, he is well over nine months into the job, letting go of his duties as CEO of his clothing business (JungleFace) and managing a wakeboard park in Nuvali,
Santa Rosa City, Laguna to fully focus on the task at hand—governing the province of Camarines Sur.
Was he daunted to step up to the platform and fill in the shoes his father had left? He replies, “Politics came (to me) naturally. Seeing my grandfather (Luis
Villafuerte) in politics for 16 years and my dad (LRay Villafuerte,) for nine years, I saw the growth of our province, especially during my father’s term. Our rivals said that if they win, they’re going to turn the world-class facility we put up into a fish pond. All of the hardwork my dad put in would be wasted. Who would be
best fit to continue his programs? I volunteered.” Campaigning for elections is not for the faint of heart. Lucky for this handsome lad, his heart—not to mention his
body—is well-conditioned. Aside from the governor title, he is also vice president for Luzon and Bicol chairman of the League of Provinces of the Philippines.
“When I aspired in 2011 for the (gubernatorial) seat, I knew I was going to win. The whole campaign period, I didn’t think I was going to lose. I knew I was working hard enough,” states this Climate Change Commission Greeneration ambassador. Under El Verde, an environmental project started by his father, LRay Villafuerte, then incumbent governor (from 2004 to 2013), Migz already planted 16 million trees. “I want to plant 40 million trees by 2020. I’m sure you know by now that CamSur is on the pathway of typhoons. If we take care of our environment in the long run, the environment will take care of us,” he elaborates.
have colleges in their towns so they’re forced to travel two hours by boat, then one hour by land to the nearest college in Camsur,” he says.
The green efforts have paid off. Camsur already has two awards in the Guinness Book of World Records. One is for the most number of trees planted in an hour; and the second is for the most number of mangroves planted in 15 minutes. “
When visiting a barangay, Migz makes sure to set a meeting with the barangay captain. “When you talk to the barangay captain, you’ll know what they really need,” Migz shares. For example, when he went to a coastal barangay recently, they said they really needed raincoats to go fishing. “If I didn’t go there, I wouldn’t know that all they needed was a simple raincoat. It’s not the only thing they need, but a raincoat will make a difference in their family’s lives and their productivity in terms of livelihood,” he shares with an eloquence of a long-time politico.
He goes on to talk about his projects. “With or without PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund), we will construct the first major provincial hospital. We identified three new islands in the province. Caramoan and Camsur Watersports
Complex (CWC) will not be the only tourist attractions. One of these islands is a surf spot, and three Hawaiian surfers who checked it out fell in love with it. We will launch it this year. At the same time, we’re expanding our IT (Information Technology) park.”
Speaking of which, Migz’s grandfather, Luis Villafuerte, was district representative from 2004 to 2013, and governor from 1988 to 1992, and 1995 to 2004. Running against his grandfather in the last May 2013 elections was like bearing a crown of thorns throughout the campaign period. “I told myself I would never answer him back because he is my lolo (grandfather) and he is older than me. So the campaign period was very gruelling for me physically, emotionally and mentally. I really needed my family and all my friends behind me,” Migz recalls. Although he is open to speaking again with his grandfather, he feels that the wounds of the elections are still too fresh and the fumes from the campaign warfare have yet to subside.
Miguel also notes that they have started to set up a structure that will house 1,500 seats in the call center. It will grow from 1,500 to 4,000, and eventually to 5,000 seats. This would spell additional jobs for the provincial youth. “We’re building a food terminal as well to help the farmers and fishermen. Our goal by 2015 is to put up a P50-million building that will handle pre- and post-food processing. This will mean that farmers and fishermen will have one unified place to bring and sell their goods, and in this way hindi sila matataga ng mga buyers (they will not be shortchanged) sa province. There will be a standard price. We are eliminating the middlemen.”
Education and the youth are a big deal to this University of San Diego Political Science graduate. Three pilot schools will have iPad tablets integrated into their curriculum education, just like in La Salle Greenhills, their project partner. By 2016, their vision is that the whole province will be using tablets in its educational system. If that’s not lofty enough, he intends that by this October, all 36 municipalities and all 1,036 barangays will be internet connected, which will work hand in hand with the tablet education. All schools and hospitals will then have fast and free Internet connectivity, benefiting more than just the teachers, students and workers. This will aid in easier communication among people.
Of course, when it comes to his detractors on the topic of political dynasty, the governor has this to say. “I believe that each and every Filipino should have the right to serve the public. Why would you limit someone from being a public servant just because he belongs to the same family? It’s unfair to discriminate, plus I’m the only Villafuerte now in CamSur.”
The young governor also points out enthusiastically that this June, two new colleges will open in the coastal municipalities of Siruma and Garchitorena. “These are far-flung barangays. They don’t
It seems that the shift from a boy in his early twenties, to becoming a full-time governor has not weighed down on his youthful spirit. He still does wakeboarding and boxing. He plays golf, basketball and spends time with family and friends. “I still feel the same. It’s like nothing’s changed. The way I dress, the way I live my life. I even drove myself here today,” he tells this writer. He is the voice of the youth carrying himself ever so lightly, but with the stability of an anchor keeping his province grounded on the road to progress.
His cool, laid-back, easy-going disposition is not one to undermine, especially when being compared to the previous Villafuerte patriarchs. “What differentiates me from my grandpa is that I’m always in a barangay, not at the Capitol. I’d rather be on the go than stuck in the office. The feedback is better. It’s hard because we have 1,036 barangays. If we have 365 days in a year and three years, you get to
