QUEZON City District 1 (QCD1) Representative Arjo Atayde took his oath as a member of Nacionalista Party (NP) as he was recently sworn in by House Senior Deputy Majority Leader, NP member, and Ilocos Norte District 1 Representative Sandro Marcos.

Historically, NP is the oldest political party both in the Philippines and Southeast Asia and was the dominant political party during the administrations of Presidents Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña (1935 to 1946), Presidents Ramon Magsaysay and Carlos P. Garcia (1953 to 1961), and President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. (1965 to 1972).

Atayde ran as an independent in last May’s elections with the support of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte. He has been in office for 100 days and has since drafted more than twenty-six bills since he won the Congressional race in QCD1 by a landslide as he garnered 66.85% of the total votes.

Present during Atayde’s oathtaking were his parents – businessman Art Atayde and critically-acclaimed actress Sylvia Sanchez – as well as fellow NP members Senator Mark Villar and Deputy Speaker Camille Villar-Genuino.