At 34, Arjo Atayde is almost 2 decades younger than most members of Congress. But since elected as Quezon City First District Representative in 2022, he would be among the most productive, assisting around 400,000 individuals from projects under ‘Aksyon Agad’.
In an emotional State of the District Address which he delivered at Skydome in SM North EDSA — his first address — Atayde enumerated all his achievements in the past 3 years in office, with projects covering from employment, education, health, youth development, disaster response, and infrastructure.
Highlighting a young but already remarkable career are the 11,498 workers assisted under the TUPAD emergency employment program, the 1,500 connected through overseas jobs through the Taiwan Job Fair, 1,100 trained under TESDA and other livelihood initiatives, and the 245 entrepreneurs supported with P15,000 in capital via the Sustainable Livelihood Program.
In health, around 60 patients a day are being accommodated at the district’s new dialysis facility, and the 75,466 patients provided with medical assistance. In education, Atayde has assisted 4,598 students for the CHED educational aid, and 1,410 scholars assisted under Tulane Dunong and SMART.
In food amelioration, 132,567 families have benefited from the Rice Distribution Program, 65,300 residents receiving free meals through the Kusina on Wheels. Additionally, around 64,000 families were also given Pamaskong Handog during the Holiday season.
Atayde emphasizes honest governance as a focus: “Sa bawat pisong inilalaan ng gobyerno para sa ating distrito, sinisigurado nating walang nasasayang — lahat ay napupunta sa programang direktang makakatulong sa inyo.”
While the numbers are impressive, Atayde becomes emotional in his address when he looks back on the alliance that he has forged despite the unfriendly world of politics. “Wala po ako dito kung hindi sa inyong tiwala — isang tiwalang hindi ko kailanman ipagwawalang bahala,” he closed his address.
Quezon City District 1 is one of the 6 districts in Quezon City, home to around 300,000 of QC’s almost 2 million population. The district includes 37 barangays that are mostly located in the western side of the city, bordering Manila City and the southern enclave of Caloocan City, including the areas of La Loma and Sta. Mesa Heights. Arjo, or Juan Carlo Atayde, will try to win the votes of around 185,000 voters in these areas as he seeks re-election in May 2025.