Guest of Honor and Speaker’s Profile: Gov. Imee R. Marcos

One of the first female graduates from an Ivy League School — Princeton University, graduating with honors thereafter;

A noted theater, TV and Film Producer responsible for Filipino Film Classics winning Cannes and Special Jury Prizes

Director-general of Experimental Cinema of the Philippines for five years (1981 – 1986) (produced: Oro, Plata, Mata; Himala; Misteryo sa Tuwa and Soltero)

Produced and wrote animation featuring Nonoy Marcelo's “Da Real Makoy and Lam-Ang”, among others;

Former Director General of the famous Experimental Cinema of the Philippines;

Produced the latest film ‘Pintakasi’ which won as Best Picture — New Wave Film in 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival;

Started experience with local governance when she organized a 3-million strong village youth organization which is the predecessor of Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) — the Kabataang Barangay and served as its chairperson;

A noted lawmaker being the Congresswoman of the Second District of Ilocos Norte for 12 years;

Governor for over 5 years now of the Province of Ilocos Norte and was elected with an overwhelming majority last 2010.

One of the Most Outstanding Governor of the Philippines 2015 by Superbrands Marketing Inc

Accomplishments as Governor

I. Ilocos Norte became one of the top ten provinces to achieve high human development index;

II. Ilocos Norte recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as the first full top-to-bottom ISO-certified province in the Philippines;

III. Ilocos Norte was cited as one of the ten Galing Pook 2015 awardees for its flagship youth program Sirib Express;

IV. Ilocos Norte Governor Imee R. Marcos was recognized as one of the Most Outstanding Governor of the Philippines 2015 by Superbrands Marketing Inc.;

V. Ilocos Norte's poverty rate was reduced from 24% in 2010 to 8.4% today;

VI. Ilocos Norte achieved a 16.7% economic growth in 2013 - 2014 compared to the 5.72% regional growth and 6.13% nationally;

VII. Ilocos Norte has significantly decreased its unemployment rate in the province from 37% in 2010 to 4.2% today;

VIII. Ilocos Norte is now one of the few provinces to achieve the Millennium Development goal on halving poverty rate;

IX. More than 1.6 million local and foreign tourists visited Ilocos Norte in 2015 compared to the 259,148 recorded in 2012;

X. Continuously market Ilocos Norte as a tourist destination through its “Paoay Kumakaway” campaign;

XI. Has tapped world famous Ilocano geniuses from here and abroad to help the province like Dr. Arsenio Balisacan a renowned Economist, Dr. Joven Cuanang, Engr. Fel Agustin and Green Architect Michael Guerrero;

XII. Launched ‘Pasingkedan ti Kinatan-ok ni Ilocano!’ last November 12 2010 as the new vision of the province;

XIII. Established the Media Incentives Desk, an office specializing in providing incentives and other privileges to various media outfits, which paved the way for more media arts activities in the province such as on-location shooting for both mainstream and independent films like: the recent Cannes Film Festival entry “Norte: Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” by award-winning director Lav Diaz shot wholly in te province; 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Si Enteng, Si Agimat at AKO” starring Vic Sotto, Bong Revilla, and Judy Ann Santos; the blockbuster “Suddenly It’s Magic” of Star Cinema starring international sensation Mario Maurer; “World is Bigger Than Love” by Director Joel Ruiz; and other television shows such as “Market to Masters” and “Kabuhayang Swak na Swak” of ABS-CBN, “Jessica Soho Reports” of GMA Network, “Face-to-Face” of TV5 and a number of music videos and magazine photo shoots; Established “Looking for Johnny Moon” Creative Media Arts Festival --to turn Ilocos Norte into a creative media arts smorgasbord offering seminars, forums and interactive learning to highlight the potential of the Ilocano in the arena of creative media;

XIV. Established the first conservation school in the country at Paoay to revive the classic trades of carpentry, wood-carving, handloom weaving, ceramics, bricks and stone masonry;

XV. Created the Provincial Education Department and the Provincial Information Technology Department;

XVI. Is an advocate of equal access to education which is the foundation for all other development goals, focused on basic educational facilities by constructing classrooms in areas experiencing acute classroom shortage;

XVII. Initiated ‘Iskolar ni Manang Imee’ which provides cash grants to poor but deserving students;

XVIII. Continues to work on intensifying scholarship programs for college students, provide free transportation means to and from the different schools, and focus more on the National Assessment Test review and preparations of the schools in Ilocos Norte;

XIX. Addressed growing unemployment rate of nurses by launching the ‘Saguip Nars’ which provided clinical as well as online health care jobs for nurses in the province;

XX. Established SIRIB Mile project which aims to develop a one-stop learning center for the students in Ilocos Norte, turning school roads into a university belt with learning art installations and sculptures focused on enhancing the educational environment for Ilocanos;

XXI. Created the Provincial Sports Hub incorporating Rizal Park and Centennial Arena with significant improvement of facilities and services;

XXII. Released Executive Order 04-01creating the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Office in accordance with UNDP;

XXIII. Created the Provincial Sports Hub incorporating Rizal Park and Centennial Arena with significant improvement of facilities and services;

XXIV. Reacquired neglected properties belonging to the province like the Malacañan ti Amianan;

XXV. Renegotiated the reduction of the interest rate of the provincial debt saving millions for the people of Ilocos Norte;

XXVI. Established “Looking for Johnny Moon” Creative Media Arts Festival --to turn Ilocos Norte into a creative media arts smorgasbord offering seminars, forums and interactive learning to highlight the potential of the Ilocano in the arena of creative media;

XXVII. Created the Anti-Partisan Armed Groups Committee to intensify peace and order campaign in the province;

XXVIII. Strengthened anti-drug and illegal firearms campaigns which made Ilocos Norte the most peaceful province in the north with crime clearance standing at 73% and solution at its highest at 59%;

XXIX. Created the Provincial Hospital Management Council to improve service in the health sector;

XXX. Launched the ‘Silpo ti Biag 707’ (Lifeline 707) to improve the quality and delivery of public health and medical services ti Ilocanos especially the poor and indigent;

XXXI. Released Executive Order 04-01creating the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Office in accordance with UNDP;

XXXII. Intensively promoted New Agriculture, the cultivation of high value cash crops, in the province and the use of Green Technology in all government projects;

XXXIII. Launched the ‘Paspas Dur-as Biag ti Away,’ a flagship agriculture program of the provincial government to enhance the productivity and sustainability of the agriculture sector in Ilocos Norte;

XXXIV. Came up with the Ilocos Norte Tourism Masterplan with Arch. Jun Palafox and is currently implementing Phase One of the project;

XXXV. Initiated sports tourism which paved the way to various major sports event being held in the province,e.g.,the ARAE-FEARA and Inteernational Paoay Regatta, Le Tour de Filipinas, Tri Ilocos Norte;

XXXVI. Initiated eco-tourism which gave rise to programs which protect the province’s unique biodiversity and establishments of ‘green energy’ projects;

XXXVII. Partnered with the Energy Development Council (EDC) on building 50 wind turbines in Burgos, Ilocos Norte and Mirae Asi Energy Corporations (MAEC) on putting up the first grid-connected solar power plant in the province to be built in Currimao, Ilocos Norte;

XXXVIII. Working with world renowned Architect Felino Palafox and currently implementing the Palafox Masterplan for tourism infrastructure and investment in Ilocos Norte, the latest being the SIRIB Mile project which aims to develop a one-stop learning center for the students in Ilocos Norte, to be located along the Laoag university belt;

XXXIX. Initiated titles to reacquire provincial properties, e.g., Capitol, Heroes Hall, Marcos Hall of Justice, etc.;

XL. Doing intensive campaign geared towards local and multinational investors for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO’s) to enter the province;

XLI. Created the Provincial Task Force on Land Titling to increase and organize the collection of taxes in the province;

XLII. Created the Provincial Task Force on Climate Change;

XLIII. Created the Provincial Resiliency Task Force that integrates disaster preparedness, threats on terrorism and possible outbreak of diseases as part of the action plan;

XLIV. Created Manang Imee’s Capitol Express, a roving one-stop shop that aims to make provincial government frontline services more accessible to all Ilocanos;

XLV. Launched the provincial newsletter ‘Paspas Dur-as’ to educate every Ilocano about the programs of the government wherein 100,000 copies are being distributed inn all parts of the province;

XLVI. Created Sirib Express, a youth-geared organization encouraging volunteerism to bring frontline services closer to all youth aged 14 to 29;

XLVII. Paid tribute to young Ilocano national and international achievers who made Ilocos Norte proud through the Sirib Youth Awards.

XLVIII. Most Outstanding Governor in the Philippines by Superbrands Marketing Inc. (awarded thrice - 2015, 2016, 2017)

XLIX. Made Ilocos Norte the first top-to-bottom ISO-certified province (ISO 9001:2015)

L. Served as the main speaker at the March 2017 Asia CEO Forum

LI. Awardee of the Golden Globe Annual Awards for Outstanding Public Service