CEBU, Philippines - Fourth district Rep. Benhur Salimbangon will tie up with Sun cellular to provide communication for the 189 barangays in his congressional district.
In a press conference yesterday, Salimbangon said more than 2,000 cellphone units will be distributed to all municipal officials and municipal health workers to ensure smooth flow of communication especially in the district’s remote areas.
The legislator however emphasized that he will be the one to pay for the P1,500 per unit through his Countrywide Development fund amounting to more or less P3 million.
“This is pure service and not campaigning,” Salimbangon clarified as he might be accused of campaigning too early.
He said that based on his regular consultations among his constituents, communication is among the various concerns of the municipal officials and even the municipal health workers.
“Labi na to mga barangay nga naa sa bukid, unya og naay emergency maglisud intawon og contact. With this program, daku gyud ni og ikatabang,” he added.
Providing communication forms part of the congressman’s holistic approach in providing service to his constituents.
“My program is from birth to the grave,” Salimbangon said, adding his health care program dubbed as the Benhur Health Card have helped so many of his poor constituents through the provision of free medical assistance.
The neophyte congressman has also a burial assistance program where he allocated P2.5 million for this year alone while he had already provide P15 million for the health care program for the past two years.
According to him, the Verallo Hospital in Bogo will be further expanded from 50-bed capacity to 100-bed capacity to better serve the constituents not just in Bogo but from other towns that are under his district as well.
The expansion, according to him, is worth P40 million. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (THE FREEMAN)