A lawmaker on Sunday said the province of Camarines Sur has unveiled its plan to build five infrastructure projects in support of the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.
Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. of the Second District of Camarines Sur said these five projects are an “iconic” eco-friendly Capitol building, expansion of the Naga Airport in the town of Pili; the modernization of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) line; the CamSur West Coast Tourism Highway that will connect the towns of Balatan, Pasacao and Ragay; and the Bicol River bridge that will connect the town of Libmanan to Naga City.
He said the construction of the Capitol building in the town of Pili will kick off the “massive” infrastructure program that CamSur would roll out. Villafuerte added the construction of these projects will begin next year.
“I always say that don’t expect extraordinary things to happen if you keep doing ordinary things every day. We want CamSur to be extraordinary. We want CamSur to be different. We want CamSur to set new standards,” Villafuerte said in a statement following the Capitol building’s recent formal launch in Makati City.
According to Villafuerte, the world-class Capitol, which was designed by architect and urban design consultant Carlos Arnaiz, would be a “groundbreaking and unique” structure that would instantly become a recognizable symbol of the province.
Gov. Miguel Luis R. Villafuerte of Camarines Sur said the CamSur Capitol building featuring several Pili-shaped roofs is designed as an eco-friendly structure, reflecting its commitment to sustainable development and the preservation of Bicol’s culture.
Arnaiz of the design firm Caza conceptualized the building as a spiraling assembly of pili-shaped husks that appears like a mountain from the horizon and like a flower from the sky.
Each pili-shaped volume is a metal sunscreen protecting the building’s interior from the intense tropical sun and creating a series of shaped roof terraces.
The Capitol’s spiral organization of pili-shaped volumes produces a covered open-air atrium in the center of the building with a dramatic interior helicoid ramp terminating at the Mount Isarog viewing deck.
“Our CamSur Capitol is a visionary project that builds on what is endemic to CamSur in order to propel the province into a future of technological advancement, environmental sustainability and civic engagement,” the governor said.
Caza, a Brooklyn-based design studio and think tank, has offices in the Philippines and Colombia.