The Official Website of Rene Relampagos

Author: Jill Christianae A. Rendon

Bohol’s First District Representative Rene L. Relampagos earmarked a total of P27 million for the medical and social needs of his constituents. The said amount was funded from his share of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for fiscal years 2011-2012.

Of the total amount, P3.5 million was released to Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital, the Philippine Heart Center and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI). The said amount will be used to extend financial assistance for the medical and hospital expenses of indigent patients from the first district of Bohol.

Relampagos also allotted another P12.2 million for the purchase of medicines for his Botika sa Barangay Program, Senior Citizens Health Program, and to finance medical/surgical and dental missions in his district.

Making sure that health facilities are upgraded in his district, Relampagos also allotted P9.7M for the purchase of medical equipment in various government hospitals in the first district specifically in Loon, Calape and Maribojoc and likewise, the purchase of mini-ambulances and a mobile clinic for the different towns and barangays.

Relampagos also saw to it that financial assistance can be extended to the indigents and displaced families, the elderly and individuals in crisis situations in all the towns and barangays of the first district. To this, P2 million was allotted where burial, transportation, rice/food subsidy, shelter/clothing assistance and feeding program can be given.

Relampagos said that he considers health and social needs as a priority concern and that’s why he is providing adequate funding for these in his district so that help can be extended to those in need. The said programs are very much welcomed by his constituents.

Author: Jill Christianae A. Rendon

Cong. Rene L. Relampagos, first district representative of Bohol has been chosen as head of the four-member Philippine delegation of the House of Representatives in the 9th General Meeting of the International Parliamentarian’s Coalition for North Korean Refugees and Human Rights in Seoul, Korea on June 21 -23, 2012.

On the second day during the third session, Relampagos will give a 7-minute presentation on the topic, “The Enactment of a North Korean Human Rights Act in Various Countries and its Implications”. The other three delegates of the said event are Cong. Maximo Rodriguez of Abante Mindanao Party List, Cong. Mariano Piamonte of A Teacher Party List and Cong. Victorino Dennis Socrates, second district representative of Palawan.

Other topics to be discussed are the following: The Current Situation of the Repatriation of the North Korean Refugees, The International Community’s Efforts for the Repatriation of the North Korean Refugees, The New Approach and Challenges on Improvement of North Korean Human Rights. A documentary film on the North Korean Refugees will also be shown.

Relampagos is currently the chairperson of the Committee on Human Rights of the House of Representatives. He is likewise the Vice-Chairman on the Committee on Information and Communications Technology and Member of the following committees: Committee on Accounts, Committee on Tourism, Committee on Transportation, Committee on Higher and Technical Education and Congressional Oversight Committee on Biofuels.

(LEFT: Cong. Relampagos getting briefed by Engr. Teodoro Castillo, District Engineer of DPWH I along with Engr. Boy Mosqueda, Head of Planning and Programming Section and Engr. Bebot Ouayan of the Maintenance Section, on the present status of the concreting of Antequera-Catagbacan, Loon Road project, funded under GAA of 2012.)

(RIGHT: Cong. Relampagos, head of the House Prosecution Panel Secretariat, taking last minute instructions from Speaker Sonny Belmonte on the last day of CJ’s impeachment trial. Beside Speaker Belmonte is Majority Floor Leader Boyet Gonzales.)

Author: Jill Christianae A. Rendon

As congress adjourned sine die last June 6, 2012, Wednesday, Cong. Rene L. Relampagos of the First District of Bohol bared that the province will receive an additional P1 billion for its upgrading and improvement of various national roads. Relampagos said that this is part of the P5B fund of the Department of Tourism (DOT) – Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) tourism convergence program for fiscal year 2012.

He added that the first engineering district will get a total of P608M to be used for the following: improvement of the Tagbilaran North Road (Tagbilaran-Cortes-Tubigon with intermittent sections); the concreting of the Balilihan-Hanopol-Batuan road (Balilihan section), Panglao Island circumferential road, Tagbilaran-Corella Road; concreting and widening of the Dauis-Panglao Central Road and the Maribojoc-Antequera-Catagbacan, Loon Road; and the improvement of the Tagbilaran City Airport road.

Relampagos said that the second district will have a share of P222M to upgrade and improve two road sections namely Jct. (LIR) – Buenavista-Carmen-Danao-Jetafe Road and the Concepcion Danao-Buenavista, Carmen Road, Danao/Carmen including bridges.

On the other hand, the third engineering district will have P239M for the concreting of three road sections namely: Balilihan-Hanopol-Batuan Road (Batuan Section), Jct. (TER)-Jagna-Sierra Bullones Road and Jct. Dat-an-Carmen-Sierra Bullones – Pilar – Alicia Road and the asphalt overlay of the Loay Interior Road.

Presently, preparatory activities are being done to fast track the implementation of the said projects and both the regional and the district engineering offices of the DPWH in the province of Bohol are presently undertaking the detailed engineering activities.

In a meeting with Undersecretary Mario L. Relampagos of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Undersecretary Relampagos told the first district solon that DBM is working and coordinating closely with the DPWH for the release of funds for the said projects on top of the DPWH budget for fiscal year 2012 as provided for under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the current year.

Cong. Relampagos said that the first district should be very grateful to President Benigno S. Aquino III and DPWH Secretary Rogelio L. Singson for giving priority attention to the infrastructure needs of the first district of Bohol and the entire province, in general. He added that Bohol is lucky that DOT Sec. Ramon Jimenez has a soft spot for Bohol and is therefore, helping a lot in pushing for the tourism development of the province.

With this additional funding of P608M, the first congressional district is getting a total of P1.1B from the DPWH to include the P490M allocation that it is getting from the GAA of 2012. Relampagos said, “No doubt this will not only boost the tourism industry in Bohol but will also help spur economic activities in the province and give jobs and livelihood opportunities for our people which is what they really need today.”

Author: Jill Christianae A. Rendon

First District Rep. Rene L. Relampagos bared that an additional P100-M is being earmarked for the concreting and drainage project of J.A. Clarin Street in the City of Tagbilaran. Relampagos said that this amount is part of the P5-B fund that Sec. Rogelio Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is asking from the Department of Budget and Management to fund road improvement projects in major tourist areas. The prioritization of these various road networks to be taken from this fund is being done in consultation too with the officials of Department of Tourism and other stakeholders in the tourism industry.

In a meeting with Sec. Singson, Cong. Relampagos lobbied for the inclusion of other priority road networks in the first district of Bohol to be funded in this special P5-B fund this year. Relampagos said that he is also pushing for the funding of the following road networks: the concreting and widening of Panglao Island Circumferential Road and Panglao Island Central Road, the concreting of the Maribojoc-Antequera-Catagbacan-Loon road and Balilihan-Hanopol-Batuan road, the improvement (asphalt overlay) of various deteriorated concrete road sections from Cortes, Maribojoc, Loon, Calape and Tubigon and the road improvement of the access road going to the Tagbilaran Airport. Sec. Singson committed to Relampagos that he will prioritize the concerns of his district. Relampagos said that the additional P100-M alloted for the J.A. Clarin Street concreting project would greatly contribute towards the completion of the road upgrading from asphalt to concrete of the Tagbilaran-Corella National Road.

Presently, P50-M has been allocated in the General Appropriations Act of 2012 for the concreting and drainage project of J.A. Clarin Street which is currently on-going. To these, Relampagos adds, “We in the first district should be very thankful to the president, his excellency, Benigno S. Aquino III for extending so much support and assistance to the development projects of Bohol’s First District and the entire province, in general.