A Message from Representative Kit Belmonte to the Sixth District of Quezon City
On the occasion of the sixth founding anniversary of the Sixth District of Quezon City, your representative to Congress stands in solidarity with each and every one of you in these times of social unrest and of uncertainty with our everyday provisions, with our jobs, with our homes, and even with our own selves. Nakikita ko na dapat tayo ay magsasama-sama para iparamdam na nandito pa rin tayo para sa isa’t isa. Now is the time to assure each other that we are here, that I am here. Hindi po tayo napagod at patuloy po tayo sa paglingkod para sa bayan. SAMA-SAMA, SUSULONG TAYO DITO SA SAIS.
Dahil sa privilege na ibinigay ninyo sa akin na makapag-lingkod bilang inyong representative ng Distrito Sais ng Quezon City ay binigyan ninyo ng paraan patungo sa katuparan ang mga nagkakaisang pangarap natin para sa ating district. The additional responsibility of working in Congress gave me a chance to fight for the institutionalization of social infrastructure for Distrito Sais.
As the Historical Banlat Area, we started by coming up with our own district development plan kasama ang mga barangay, at mga people’s organization. Dito po natin unang iginuhit ang ating pangarap para sa ating distrito. Kasunod nito ang pagbuo ng ating district shelter plan.
Mula noong ika-Labing-Anim na Kongreso ay pinanindigan natin na maging taga-sulong ng right to housing, right to education, right to healthcare, right to food, right to sustainable environment. We championed participatory governance and tax justice. And we did this without missing a single session day in Congress. Opo, perfect attendance po tayo sa Congress.
Kaya naman tayo ay ginawang miyembro ng labing-anim na mahahalaganang komite sa House of Representatives, kasama ang pagiging Assistant Majority Leader, at Vice Chairperson ng Committee on Justice.
We have authored and co-authored over 176 bills, of which 13 passed into law during the 16th Congress. For the 17th Congress, we have so far passed 10 laws, which include the Emergency Health Care Law, the law establishing the Emilio Jacinto National High School, Free Tertiary Education Law, and recently, the Mental Health Law.
In the national level, we have House Bill 160, which provides on-site, in-city, and near city resettlement for informal settler families. We also have House Bill 159, which aims to strengthen the government’s power to expropriate lands for purposes of socialized housing. At bilang Chairperson ng Special Committee on Land Use, naipasa natin on 3rd reading ang House Bill No. 5240, o ang National Land Use Plan – isang bill na nakabinbin sa Kongreso nang ilang dekada – sa loob ng unang anim na buwan ng 17th Congress. These bills have passed on third reading in Congress, and have been transmitted to the Senate.
Our commitment to upholding our people’s right to life, liberty, and property is also manifested through initiatives like House Bill 158, which aims to establish the National Committee for the Prevention of Torture, along with House Bill 157, which prescribes a code of conduct for the eviction of the underprivileged. Further, we continue to uphold our people’s right to information, and we have done so by filing House Bill 161, our version of the Freedom of Information Bill.
In addition to safeguarding the fundamental rights of our countrymen, we have also been responsive to the immediate needs of our constituents. In the 16th Congress, we authored House Bill No. 3899 which later became Republic Act No. 10646, which created the Quezon City Development Authority, a local government owned and controlled corporation, the first of its kind, which aims to be the development arm of our beloved city.
In our effort to make justice accessible, we likewise created 19 additional Regional Trial Courts for Quezon City.
We have also worked tirelessly in ensuring that more classrooms are built in the district to address the growing number of residents. And to establish more high schools to supplement the five existing ones, to make education more accessible, and to respond to the needs of the K-12 Program. With your support, Barangay Pasong Tamo will now have Emilio Jacinto National High School, while Tandang Sora and Talipapa should soon follow.
We also continue to provide support for programs that have proven to be effective, as we filed House Bill 7773 to institutionalize the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.
Ang mga gawain natin sa loob ng Congress ay nakabatay sa pulso ng pangangailangan ng ating constituents sa Distrito Sais. Opo, hindi lamang sa Congress ang ating perfect attendance; perfect attendance din po tayo sa pagkausap sa mga ating mga ka-Distrito.
We continue to be open and dynamic in uplifting the lives of our constituents. We welcome partnerships with the private sector in providing opportunities for the people in our district. Right now, we are working with The Coca Cola Company on their 5 by 20 program. The program promotes the economic empowerment of women not just in the Philippines, but in other countries like Brazil, India, and South Africa.
Aside from economic opportunities, we also work to improve the health of the people in our district. Through our partnership with Unilab, the residents of District 6 will now have access to their SafeBirth lying-in clinic, which brings maternal and childcare to those who need it the most. First-rate medical attention will also now be more accessible as a Philippine General Hospital is expected to rise along Central Avenue.
Our collaborative efforts are not exercised with the private sector alone. Our barangay staff has received training from the MMDA for disaster response. We also have Sapa Ko, Mahal Ko, in our efforts to clean and declog the District’s waterways.
We also continue to provide for infrastructure projects within the district. Our multipurpose buildings, barangay halls, basketball courts, school buildings, day care centers, have been enjoyed by our constituents. We also work year-round for road rehabilitation and drainage improvement. The missing link, a highway in Segment 8.2 bridging the eastern and the western part of Metro Manila, as well as NLEX and SLEX, will also soon become a reality because of our tireless efforts towards better mobility in our growing metro. As we continue to safeguard the communities in District Six, more resilient housing is expected to rise for the families in Kaingin Bukid in Barangay Apolonio Samson.
All this we have done in just six years.
But it does not stop there.
This representation has had the privilege of working with some of the most zealous community builders and the most responsive stakeholders. Together, we have seen our objectives accomplished one by one. This only makes us want to do more.
We will continue to push for health initiatives and bring the most necessary and basic services to the people. As much as we can, we will try to eliminate our constituent’s need to seek services that we could give outright. Aside from regular medical missions, we will also continue to collaborate with the DSWD and DepEd for our school feeding programs.
We are also aggressively pushing for the revival of industries in the district, a project which we are working on with the Department of Trade and Industry. We will continue to draw on our strengths and build opportunities where we see them. We are home to some of the most hardworking people, not just in the city, but in the country, and our people will receive the necessary training and education so they may continue to apply themselves.
Nais ko pong pasalamatan ang mga bumubuo ng ating Distrito. Sa mga kapitan at kagawad na tumulong maipatupad ang ating mga adhikain, sa mga residente na walang-sawang nakilahok sa ating mga programa. Nais din po nating pasalamatan ang ating butihing alkalde, Mayor Herbert Bautista at si Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, sa kanilang walang-patid na suporta.
In six years, we have come to be the District that we have envisioned from the very start: tough, resilient, hard-working, and responsive. We work tirelessly and honestly. We strive to live with dignity and respect for the community.
We ask you not to marvel at our achievements. We ask you to join us in building a better district. Ang tagumpay ng Distrito Sais ay tagumpay ng buong lungsod ng Quezon.
Marami pa po tayong nais ibihagi. Marami na po tayo nagawa. Ngunit, marami pa tayong gagawin. Muli, ang mensahe na ito ay upang ipaalam sa inyo na nandito lamang ang inyong congressman. Sabay-sabay, sama-sama: SULONG-SAIS!