Vice Governor Rene Relampagos bids farewell to the Boholanos as his three-year term as the head of the province’s legislative body draws to a close.
He used his privilege speech at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s regular session last June 21, 2022, as an opportunity publicly address the people one final time as the vice governor.
Relampagos recounted the achievements of the august body, saying that the 28th Sangguniang Panlalawigan was the kind of legislative body he envisioned.
“In the three years I have spent inside this Session Hall, I can proudly say that the 28th Sangguniang Panlalawigan has been the kind of legislative body I envisioned. I wanted the SP to be rooted in what is happening on the ground,” Relampagos said.
LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Guided by data, observation, and experience, as Relampagos stated, the SP crafted legislative measures to improve the lives of the Boholanos. In the last three years, the SP passed 130 ordinances and 2,978 resolutions.
“We meant business within this hall; we wasted no time,” he said.
Flagship achievements in legislation, through the hard work and dedication of the members of the SP, include the Bohol Centenarian Ordinance and the Bohol Medical Scholarship Program.
Relampagos himself proposed an ordinance, the Buhat Pasultihon Free Medical Assistance Program for Boholano Senior Citizens, which also passed as a provincial ordinance.
The aforementioned ordinances focused on preserving the Boholano family and improving health care and education in the province.
More than this, the SP was also pivotal to the recent development in agriculture in Bohol.
“We have passed ordinances that championed our farmers. We helped build facilities that will modernize agriculture. Through our swift action, we are able to build rice processing centers in Pilar and soon, in Ubay,” said Relampagos.
CHALLENGES
Relampagos is a seasoned public servant, having served as a board member, district representative, and governor, in the many years prior.
But in his speech, he admitted that his time as the Vice Governor of Bohol offered unique challenges.
“Nothing has prepared me to be the head of the province’s legislative body amidst a global pandemic. As if the global pandemic was not enough, we have to respond to the aftermath of super typhoon Odette after it ravaged the entire province,”
Relampagos said.
“These events tested my faith and challenged my capabilities. But the work continues. We need to be quick in providing Boholanos aid, and economic safeguards. And quick we were. Currently, some of our legislative measures will help usher Bohol towards a new normal,” he stated.
In addition to the challenges brought by the pandemic and the typhoon, Relampagos said that the Provincial Government also dealt with disinformation.
To this, he said: “Amidst all the lies, one thing remains true and I can say this with my head held high: I did my very best to serve the Boholanos faithfully and with utmost dedication.”
A BOHOLANO DARES TO DREAM
Although Relampagos can no longer continue working on his dreams for the province as a vice governor moving forward, he hopes that his legacy and the provincial board’s – the legislative measures that passed during their time – position Bohol to develop further.
“I hope that one day, all the dreams we have made become our people’s reality – a Bohol where our food growers do not have to worry about what to put on the table, a Bohol where opportunity thrives, a Bohol where people can dream big and achieve them.”