The Official Website of Rene Relampagos

Author: Jill Christianae A. Rendon

First District Representative, Rene L. Relampagos recently filed a house bill, resetting the date of synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections from last Monday of October 2013 to the last Monday of October 2014, amending for the purpose Republic Act no. 9340, otherwise known as “an act amending Republic Act No. 9164, resetting the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, and for other purposes.”

Relampagos’ proposed bill that extends the Barangay and SK officials term of office from three (3) to five (5) years instead is based on the rationale that the present three-year term of the barangay and SK official is not adequate to guarantee proper implementation of their projects and that an extension of two years is practical to make certain that they are appropriately carried out and sought to completion.

Moreover, the bill which would separate the Barangay and SK elections from the local and congressional elections adheres to the non-partisan character of the barangay which is described in detail under Article 3, Section 21 of Republic Act no. 9340, “Prohibition against intervention by political party, coalition of political parties, or any other organization.”

If passed, Relampagos’ bill would help Barangay and SK elections be “strictly non-partisan” and pave way for a more efficient project implementation and completion of the barangays.

Author: Jill Christianae A. Rendon

First District Representative, Cong. Rene L. Relampagos, through his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) has allocated a total amount of P5-M worth of medical kits for each barangay of the first district of Bohol in his project, ‘Botika sa Barangay’.

It could be noted that this is not the first time Cong. Relampagos implemented such project. He already had ‘Botika sa Barangay’ going during his term as Bohol’s provincial governor and upon the request of the barangays that may have felt its substantial benefits, he put this project to action again and “relaunched” it now that he is back to public service. He makes sure that he himself distributes the two bags of medical kit containing various drugs and medicines for common illnesses to the recipient barangays. In his barangay sorties, Relampagos made sure that the barangay officials and health workers were duly recognized for their contribution in the success of the implementation of the program.

To date, 250 out of 327 barangays of the first district have already benefited from it and Cong. Relampagos intends to complete implementation by June of this year.  All barangays in the municipalities of: Calape, Corella, Loon, Antequera, Catigbian, Balilihan, Alburquerque, Sikatuna, Cortes, Panglao, Dauis and some in Baclayon and Tagbilaran City have received the kits. ‘Botika sa Barangay’ also paved way for Cong. Relampagos to regularly visit the barangays and make consultations with the people.

Source: http://www.theboholstandard.com/

Rep. Rene Relampagos has secured this year at least P490 million for roads, other vital infrastructures and essential impact projects for Tagbilaran City and the rest of the First District.

His infrastructure program for the city includes road cementing and drainage improvement from PNB going up to Filoil station along JA Clarin Street and asphalting from Dao to San Isidro and Cabawan.

The concreting and drainage works costing P48.6 million will start after the Tagbilaran fiesta.

The JA Clarin road passes city hall and leads to the uptown commercial complex where the Island City Mall, central public market and integrated bus terminal are located.

The upper section of the road which already enters Dao is undergoing asphalt overlay and raised up, with soil stabilizer, to prevent the re-emergence of “Lake Dao.” It is also assisted by the congressman.

The public refers the “lake” to the road section which used to be flooded and become virtual pool of rainwater that could not exit in the absence of sewerage, a concern neglected by the city leadership.

Even the tourists and visitors complain over worst city roads while Mayor Dan Lim “wastes his mandate and time” in keeping himself busy lambasting the Bohol officials like Relampagos and Gov. Edgar Chatto who otherwise do their jobs—and help Tagbilaran, according to the transport sector.

They said that like Chatto pillaring development, Relampagos, who is a former governor, has his concrete acts talking for his competence in government.

As planned, Relampagos will have the entire stretch from the city to Corella town concreted although it cannot be fully accomplished within this year because he has to attend to the 13 other towns in his district.

The P490 million earmarked by Relampagos this year includes the on-going P50 million additional widening and concreting of theDauis-Panglao central line.

The concreting of the Panglao island circumferential road is up for start at P169 million.

Both road works are apparently also in preparation for the materialization of the new Bohol airport project on the island.

The existing concrete and asphalt major roads in Panglao and Dauis, including the now two wide concrete causeways and bridges linking the island to Tagbilaran City, were done by Chatto when he was congressman.

Relampagos said the continuing concreting of the Maribojoc-Antequera-Catagbacan (Loon) road has over P100 million while the widening and concreting of the access road to Catagbacan international cruise ship port is also on-going.

Almost P40 million has been allocated for the remaining uncemented sections of the Tubigon-Macaas-Catigbian road. These are areas of great concern also prioritized in Chatto’s time as congressman.

In further collaboration with the province under Chatto and Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim, Relampagos said there is now over P40 million for the cementing of the Balilihan-Hanopol-Batuan road, which got P45 million last year.

Over P10 million is ready for the uncemented portion of the Corella-Balilihan road, apart from the asphalting of Corella’s Sambog-Anislag road

The repair of road slope for protection from landslide Lilo-an, Cortes is on-going while the concreting of the Cortes junction road upward will soon begin.

Relampagos said there will be upgrading/improvement of the Tagbilaran north road, especially on the accident prone sections in Maribojoc, Loon, Calape and Tubigon.

On port works, P6 million has been allocated for Maribojoc, Baclayon and Alburquerque.

EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CONDITION

DepEd Sec. Bro. Armin Luistro positively responded to the First District solon’s lobby for over P20 million for more school buildings, classroom facilities and items for new teachers in his district.

Relampagos targets to increase to 2,000 his scholars in the different campuses of the Bohol Island State University (BISU) and private universities and colleges in the city and towns.

It was during his governorship, with Chatto as the vice governor then, that the provincial government created and has since institutionalized the CPG Scholarship.\

On socio-economic condition, the congressman succeeded in including this year beneficiaries from Tagbilaran City, Loon, Calape, Catigbian and Balilihan in the Pantawid Pampamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) under the DSWD.

There were no First District recipients last year because according to the DSWD poverty bases, Second District has most poor followed by the Third District.

But Relampagos convinced the social welfare agency that there are, in Tagbilaran City for example, “pockets of poverty” that equally deserve what the national government can prioritize.

In Congress, Relampagos holds a chairmanship, particularly of the committee on human rights, regardless his being a neophyte congressman. (Ven rebo Arigo)

by JILL CHRISTIANAE A. RENDON

Cong. Rene L. Relampagos of the First District of Bohol through his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) released the budget for Rene’s Educational Assistance Program (REAP) last March 23, 2012 to 212 student scholars from the municipalities of the first district for the second semester of Academic Year 2011-2012. Prior to this, he also gave out REAP grants to 230 students for the first semester of the same academic year.

REAP is one of the congressman’s education-focused projects that is geared towards providing financial assistance to hard-up but deserving high school graduates who want to pursue college studies in any of Bohol’s colleges and universities. P2,500 was given to each student scholar and P5,000 to Bohol Island State University (BISU)-Main students involved in performing arts.

The municipalities with their respective number of scholarship recipients for the first semester of Academic Year 2011-2012 are the following: Sikatuna – 3, Maribojoc – 1, Corella – 4, Baclayon – 9, Tubigon – 6, Calape – 6, Alburquerque – 8, Cortes – 7, Antequera – 6, Loon – 72, Balilihan – 9, Dauis – 16, Catigbian – 14, Panglao – 39 and Tagbilaran – 30. The second semester recipients are the following: Alburquerque – 13, Antequera – 7, Baclayon – 11, Balilihan – 13, Cortes – 6, Calape – 6, Catigbian – 10, Corella – 1, Dauis – 7, Loon – 90, Panglao – 16, Sikatuna – 1, Tagbilaran – 19 and Tubigon – 12.

On the same day, Cong. Relampagos also released the funds for another scholarship program, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Special Study Grant Program for Congressional District for First Semester of Academic Year 2011-2012 to 1120 students from different BISU campuses, giving them P2,500 each.

The municipalities with their respective number of scholarship recipients for the said program are the following: Alburquerque – 15, Antequera – 44, Baclayon – 76, Balilihan – 115, Catigbian – 83, Calape – 116, Corella – 29, Cortes – 72, Dauis – 124, Loon – 127, Maribojoc – 44, Panglao – 24, Sikatuna – 35, Tagbilaran – 161, Tubigon –55. Aside from these scholarships renewable every semester, Cong. Relampagos also has his Special Study Grant Program for Congressional District that assures 60 student scholars financial assistance all throughout college, giving them P2,500 every semester.

The requirements of these programs are: certification from the School Registrar that the applicant is currently enrolled in their school; a certification that the applicant is financially hard-up from any of the following offices: the Municipal or Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, Municipal Mayor or Vice-Mayor, or the Punong Barangay or Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman of the barangay and a letter of intent addressed to Cong. Rene L. Relampagos , duly noted by the parents.

Interested applicants may submit requirements to the office of Cong. Rene L. Relampagos at the ground floor of the Provincial Capitol Commercial Complex along Marapao Street, Tagbilaran City. With scholarship programs like these, the future indeed looks brighter.