Regina Ongsiako Reyes-Mandanas (July 3, 1964 – May 5, 2022) was a member of the

Philippine House of Representatives The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish language, Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house ...

representing the lone legislative district of Marinduque. She was the youngest daughter of former

Bureau of Immigration Bureau of Immigration may refer to: *Bureau of Immigration (India) *Bureau of Immigration (Philippines) * Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (Liberia) *Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforc ...

Commissioner Edmundo Reyes, Sr. and

Marinduque Marinduque (; ), officially the Province of Marinduque, is an island province in the Philippines located in Southwestern Tagalog Region or Mimaropa, formerly designated as Region IV-B. Its capital is the municipality of Boac. Marinduque lies be ...

Governor Carmencita O. Reyes. She was also the wife of incumbent

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...

Governor

Hermilando Mandanas Hermilando Ingco Mandanas (born March 25, 1944), also known as Dodo Mandanas and colloquially as Dodo, is a Filipino politician who served as Governor of Batangas since 2016; previously served this position from 1995 until 2004. He served as ...

Early life and career

Regina Ongsiako Reyes was twice accelerated in her primary and secondary school. A consistent

Dean's List A dean's list is an academic award, or distinction, used to recognize the highest level scholarship demonstrated by students in a college or university. This system is most often used in North America, though institutions in Europe, Asia, and Aust ...

er, she finished her

Foreign Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

degree at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. She then studied at the

Ateneo Law School , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...

, where she graduated in the honor roll. After passing the Philippine Bar Examination, she served in government and worked as a solicitor at the Office of Solicitor General. She was the youngest solicitor in history, and also took advanced studies in Comparative Law. She decided to pursue her profession further by becoming a member of the State Bar of California and the

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Advocacies

She was a devoted member of the Special Projects Group of

Gawad Kalinga Gawad Kalinga (GK) ("to give care" in Tagalog) is a Philippine poverty alleviation and nation-building movement known officially as the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation. Its mission is to end poverty for 5 million families by 2024. ...

and was engaged in supporting rehabilitation centers for abused and neglected children, disaster management and relief operations, and volunteer recruitment. Reyes also joined Answering the Cry of the Poor Foundation (USA) Inc., better known as ANCOP U.S.A., and helped empower poor Filipino families by providing them shelter and livelihood programs, and promoting a culture of health consciousness.

Political career

She was the provincial administrator of

for almost two years. During her term, she has been very active in program implementation of the Provincial Government of Marinduque particularly programs by the Provincial Social Welfare Development Office (PSWDO) on gender, women, children and senior citizens and the Provincial Nutrition Office (PNO) on barangay nutrition scholars and supplemental feedings for malnourished children. She was also active in fighting against irresponsible mining and provided jobs to the affected community. In May 2013, Reyes gained almost 4,000 votes more than her opponent. She was proclaimed as the winner by the Marinduque

COMELEC COMELEC or Comelec may refer to any of the following: * Commission on Elections (Philippines) (Comelec) * North African Power Pool The Comité Maghrébin de l'Electricité (COMELEC), also Maghreb Electricity Committee and North African Power Poo ...

Provincial Board of Canvassers and subsequently took her oath of office before President

Benigno S. Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte in Malacañang as the duly elected representative of the Lone District of Marinduque. As a member of the 16th Congress, she was the vice-chairwoman of the House Committee on National Defense and Security. She was also a member of several committees, which include the committees on Appropriations, Justice, Health, Natural Resources, Veterans Affairs and Welfare, Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, Youth and Sports Development, Higher and Technical Education, Overseas Workers Affairs, Public Order and Safety, and Women and Gender Equality.

Death

Reyes-Mandanas died on 5 May 2022 at

Makati Medical Center Makati Medical Center (MMC), also known as Makati Med, is a tertiary hospital in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines with more than 600 beds. The hospital was founded on May 31, 1969. The hospital is owned and operated by Medical Doctors Inc., a ...

due to

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

. She was admitted to the hospital because of a bacterial infection affecting her right foot.

References

External links

yesmarinduque.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes Mandanas, Regina 1964 births 2022 deaths Ateneo de Manila University alumni People from Marinduque Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Marinduque Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni Filipino Roman Catholics Deaths from sepsis 21st-century Filipino politicians 21st-century Filipino women politicians