True nation-building and development go beyond just economic prosperity. A holistic approach is crucial, focusing on the well-being of a nation’s people alongside economic factors.
This means investing in education to create a skilled workforce, fostering social justice and equality to ensure stability, and promoting environmental sustainability for a healthy future. By nurturing these interconnected aspects, a nation cultivates a strong foundation for not only economic growth but also a thriving citizenry and a resilient society.
In the Lone District of Guimaras, Rep. Ma. Lucille L. Nava serves as the sentinel who promotes holistic growth within her district. Her efforts in her jurisdiction and within the hallowed halls of the House of Representatives demonstrate how her leadership ensures that nobody gets left behind.
Rep. Nava is a doctor by profession. She earned her baccalaureate degree in Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas. She then pursued and finished her Doctor of Medicine degree at the Iloilo Doctors’ College of Medicine.
She took her specialty training in Internal Medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital, Iloilo City, and thereafter her subspecialty training in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at St. Luke’s Medical Center, Quezon City.
A Fellow of the Philippine College of Physicians, she is also an Associate Member of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and a Member of the Philippine Hospital Infection Control Society.
While serving her first term as the district representative in 2016, she then pursued and finished her Master’s Degree in Public Administration at Guimaras State University.
Rep. Nava is the Vice-Chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations. She also holds the Vice-Chairmanship position in several House Committees such as the Committee in Interparliamentary Relations and Diplomacy, Agriculture and Food, and Visayas Development.
As a Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on Appropriations, she defended the budget of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) from Regions VI, VII, and VIII. As well as that of the Department of Health, the National Nutrition Council, and the Philippine National Aids Council. However, she placed special focus on defending the budget of the National Commission of Senior Citizens, a commission with an important mandate of promoting the rights, welfare, and benefits of Filipino senior citizens.
She principally authored measures with a special focus on environmental protection, health, and food security. These legislations had been passed on the Third Reading by the House of Representatives. Among these include: House Bill No. 3695, An Act Declaring A Parcel Of Land Located In The Municipality Of Nueva Valencia In The Province Of Guimaras, A Natural Park, which aims to strengthen the protection of the jewel of Guimaras, in consideration of its diverse flora and fauna.
As can be seen from her priority bills, her advocacy programs support quality and continuing education, accessible health facilities, agricultural growth, tourism promotion, and infrastructure development.
She has made a significant impact to the Province of Guimaras due to laws she principally authored during her previous two terms such as An Act Declaring May 22 Of Every Year A Special Nonworking Holiday In The Province Of Guimaras In Commemoration Of Its Anniversary As A Province, An Act Converting The Guimaras Land Transportation Office (Lto) Extension Office Into A Regular Lto District Office, and, An Act Converting The Guimaras State College In The Province Of Guimaras, Into A State University, To Be Known As The Guimaras State University, And Appropriating Funds Therefor.
She is especially proud of a landmark national legislation she principally authored and sponsored namely, An Act Providing For The Permanent Validity Of The Certificates Of Live Birth, Death, And Marriage Issued, Signed, Certified, Or Authenticated By The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) And Its Predecessor, The National Statistics Office (NSO), And The Local Civil Registries, And The Reports Of Birth, Death, And Marriage Registered And Issued By The Philippine Foreign Service Posts whereby Civil Registration Documents are considered permanently valid.
Rep. Nava also made significant developments in her district. Through her initiative, several key infrastructure projects came to fruition such as the Rehabilitation and Improvement of the Dr. Catalino Gallego Nava Provincial Hospital, the Construction of its new building, the Out-Patient Care Building, the Construction of the Cabano Small River Impounding Project, and the upgrading and development of the Guimaras Circumferential Roads including the concrete paving of Roads leading to Tourism Areas, Roads leading to Industries and Farm to Market Roads.
Notably, she has made it her avocation to empower her fellow women in Guimaras. For the past years, she has worked as the founding chairwoman of the Integrated Women’s Alliance of Guimaras, an association composed of women agricultural workers, fisher folks, and housewives. Its main goal is to reach out to its marginalized members through skills training, livelihood programs, and community support activities.
On June 25, Rep. Nava was awarded by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) special recognition for her strong support to the nutrition body. She is also the principal author of House Bill No. 7869, or the Nutrition Act of 2023 which seeks to convert the NNC into a Commission.
Her recent contributions to furthering progress in the Lone District of Guimaras are financial assistance to students, implementing the Tulong Panghanapuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), and helping her constituents receive livelihood training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), among other initiatives.
Rep. Nava’s unwavering passion for public service and ideology of how inclusive growth across sectors shows that having the right leader guide the community to embrace their potential can reap great rewards.
