Luis Raymond Villafuerte

Luis Raymund "L-Ray" Favis Villafuerte Jr. (born June 3, 1968) is a Filipino politician who is the governor of Camarines Sur since 2025; he also served in the same position from 2004 to 2013. He previously served as the Representative of Camarines Sur's 2nd district from 2016 to 2025. He was a House Deputy Speaker from 2019 until October 14, 2020.

He belongs to a family of politicians. His father is former governor Luis Villafuerte Sr., while two of his sons also served as governors of Camarines Sur: Miguel Luis Villafuerte and Luigi Villafuerte. He was born with a mixture of Bicolano and Ilocano roots, as his father Luis Villafuerte Sr., is a Bicolano, while his mother, Nelly Favis-Villafuerte, a lawyer, columnist, and a former official of Department and Trade Industry and a member of the Monetary Board of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, came from the Favis family of Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

Business career

He and his wife Lara own Lara's Gift and Décor, Inc., an export company serving clients in different countries. They were the only Philippine business directly selling to Target branches in the United States.

He was the President of Lara's Gift and Décor, Inc from 1990 to 2004, and President of Lara's Gift and Décor, Inc. U.S.A. from 2000 to 2004. He was also the President of Bicol Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (2001–2004), Global Merchandising Services Ltd. (2001–2004), Digitext Asia Corporation (2002–2004), and the Philippine Association of Medical Transcription, Inc. (2001–2004).

Currently, he is the CEO of Republic Wakeparks Inc. (operator of CamSur Watersports Complex), President of Blank Boardsports Supply Company Inc., vice-president of Breddas Inc., and a Trustee of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship and the likes.

He is also President of Villafuerte Brotherhood Foundation, Inc, (2001–present) and of Philippine Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation, Inc. (2006-president) and serves as vice-president of Asian Wakeboarding Association (2001–present) and an executive board member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines Camarines Sur Council (2003–present).

Political career

House of Representatives

During the 2020 House leadership crisis, Villafuerte supported House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano's refusal to step down after Lord Allan Velasco was elected as the new speaker, Villafuerte was ousted from being a deputy speaker on October 14 and was replaced by Mikee Romero, a Velasco ally who was removed as a deputy speaker two weeks prior by Cayetano's side.

In a statement, Villafuerte announced that he will continue to support President Rodrigo Duterte's legislative agenda, and added "if the intention of removing me was to intimidate all those who remain loyal to former Speaker Cayetano, then they have miscalculated badly." He also accused the new leadership of "rejecting" the Cayetano faction's "offers of cooperation."

Electoral history