Angara lauds Laguna Province

STA. CRUZ, LAGUNA - Team Unity candidate Senator Edgardo J. Angara today lauded Laguna province for maintaining its status as the fastest-growing province in Southern Tagalog.

Angara, the top economist of the Senate, noted that Laguna is contributing 11.79 percent of the region's Gross Domestic Product, the biggest share in the GDP outside of Manila. He attributed this big contribution to the province's tourist attractions and agricultural ventures.

Laguna has a balanced industrial hub that is very close to Metro Manila, and at the same time, it offers varied tourism destinations like hot springs, lakes, water falls, forests and fisheries," Angara said.

He cited records showing that Laguna has the second highest number of registered tourists in Region IV-A in 2005, just 250,000 visitors less than the registered visitors in Cavite in the same year.

Angara also noted that the province is now becoming a center of economic activity in the Southern Tagalog by hosting almost half of the region's manufacturing businesses.

"Business in the area is building up as shown by the presence of several industrial estates designed for handling small and medium entreprises (SMEs) engaged in textile manufacturing, electronics, food processing, industrial machines, and even car assembly," Angara explained.

Angara, a former agriculture secretary, also pointed out that Laguna's economic progress has been enhanced by its potential as the fruit basket of Southern Tagalog.

"Sweet tropical fruits abound in Laguna. These are the lanzones from Paete, pineapple from Calauan, chico, banana, mango, rambutan, and avocado from Sta. Cruz. Indeed, Laguna has been a contributor to our country's generated income, not only through its tourist destinations but also through its fruit harvests," he said.