Neophyte congressman Eulogio Rodriguez presented to his constituents last week his accomplishments for the first 100 days in office, based on the missions he gave himself during the election campaign.
First, he said, he has secured an additional P3 million for the Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients (MAIP) program, which will be provided through private hospitals like the Immaculate Heart of Mary Hospital and the Catanduanes Doctors Hospital, Inc. through a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Health.
This would assist poor patients who have been referred to private hospitals but do not have the resources to pay for the cost of treatment.
The solon also said he also worked for additional funds for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).
On the other hand, more than P2 billion in funding have been allocated in Congress for infrastructure projects in Catanduanes, with nearly half of it slated for life-saving structures and disaster preparedness and mitigation.
This would be of great help to those who need jobs and livelihood and likewise boost the local economy, Rep. Rodrigues stressed.
For agriculture, he said he has filed House Bill 2004 that would provide retirement benefits for subsistence farmers and fisherfolk and House Bill 3892 establishing the Catanduanes Abaca Research and Development Office that would focus on abaca product studies and thus maximize the potentials of the abaca industry.’
The proposed measure would also monitor the prices of abaca fiber, to protect the interest of the abaca farmers and ensure assistance would be provided to abacaleros during calamities.
In support of the local aquaculture and fisheries sector, Cong. Rodriguez said he has filed HB 2005 that would establish a multi-specie freshwater and saltwater fish hatchery and research center in Bato town.
This would not only improve and develop such resources but also provide alternative source of income for fisherfolk especially during inclement weather, he emphasized.
Under the Rice Tariffication Law, 5,714 rice farmers in Catanduanes have been granted P5,000 each from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), the solon disclosed.
For the tourism industry, Rodriguez bared that 14 percent of the infra fund for Catanduanes has been allotted for the improvement of roads leading to tourism sites.
He also filed HB 2006 declaring the 4th week of May every year as special holidays in Catanduanes for the celebration of the Abaca Festival and HB 2003 declaring Dec. 7 of every year as a special non-working holiday for the commemoration of the Kaaldawan nin Virac.
To protect and preserve the island’s cultural heritage, the congressman also filed HB 5110 strengthening the conservation and protection of Philippine Cultural Heritage through cultural mapping and enhanced cultural heritage education program.
Regarding the intermittent brownouts in Catanduanes, he said he had filed HB 2001 allowing the use of Waste-to-Energy Technology in electricity, fuel and heat generation, which would not only bring down the cost of electricity but also address the problem of waste disposal.
He also asked the National Power Corporation not to remove its low-speed genset to serve as back-up power source of FICELCO in case the gensets of the power provider fail.
The congressman said he is also working for the funding of the Pandan and Caramoran substations and transmission lines, which when completed would stabilize the power situation and limit brownouts.
Aside from the P2.4 million fund for the DOLE’s Government Internship Program and P8,9 million for the TUPAD program that has benefited 2,600 residents, he announced the launching of the Livelihood and Employment Opportunities (LEO) Program at the TESDA-Cabugao School of Handicraft and Cottage Industries to address unemployment in the province.
He has also filed HB 3893 converting TESDA-CSHCI into the Bicol Technical and Vocational Institute that would become the center of tech-voc education in the region.
Rodriguez reiterated his plan of establishing the Catanduanes People’s Center that would provide offices for national offices like the PRC, DFA, PSA and NBI so that constituents would not need to travel to the mainland or Metro Manila to avail of their services.
He said Catanduanes State University President Patrick Alain Azanza has committed to the university hosting the center while Sen. Francis Tolentino pledged to allocate P50 million for its construction.
Recently, he added, 1,609 professionals availed of the PRC Mobile Processing while 924 would-be teachers took the licensure examinations at CatSU.
This Nov. 17, 2022, the congressman bared, he will bring 26 DFA personnel at his own expense to the province for the processing of applications for new passports and passport renewals.
On scholarships, he said that he has secured P12 million in new funding for scholarships of students in public and private schools.
To improve internet connection in the province, Rodriguez stated that he is engaged in talks with a private company for the resolution of the issue which he said is very important for students and the youth.
As part of his 10-point agenda, the district representative stressed the importance of prior consultation with his constituents, including LGUs, NGOs and POs, with regards to programs and projects and vital decisions.
In such a consultation, he shared, he found out that a lot of schools damaged during super typhoon Rolly have yet to be repaired, something which he brought before Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte.
He also announced that 160 computers will arrive in the province for selected schools while Catanduanes has been included as a recipient of E-classrooms from DepEd.
On the Friendship Bridge, Rep. Rodriguez remarked that he has convinced DPWH Sec. Manuel Bonoan that the proposed span to the mainland would greatly help the region’s economy, especially in tourism and livelihood.
In Congress, the solon is vice chairman of the Committee on Higher Education and is a member of the committees on appropriation, banks and financial intermediaries, basic education and culture, Bicol recovery and economic development, energy, food security, health, local government, national defense and security, public works and highways, and senior citizens.