Pablo José Hernández

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Casa de Ninos Manuel Fernandez Juncos as it commemorates its 120th anniversary of service to the children and youth of Puerto Rico.

Founded in 1906 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, under the leadership of the distinguished educator Don Manuel Fernandez Juncos, the institution was established to provide shelter, protection, and guidance to vulnerable children who lacked stable homes and opportunities. What began as El Refugio de Ninos Desamparados evolved into Casa de Ninos Manuel Fernandez Juncos, a nonprofit organization that has transformed the lives of generations of young people for more than a century.

Today, Casa de Ninos Manuel Fernandez Juncos provides preventive and therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and young adults who have experienced abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Through educational, rehabilitative, and counseling programs led by a dedicated team of professionals, the organization helps young people develop the skills, values, and confidence necessary to build productive and meaningful lives.

Throughout its history, Casa de Ninos Manuel Fernandez Juncos has remained steadfast in its mission to provide a safe and supportive environment where young people can overcome adversity and reach their full potential. By addressing both immediate needs and long-term development, the organization has strengthened communities and created opportunities for countless young people across Puerto Rico.

For 120 years, its commitment to education, protection, and personal development has made Casa de Ninos Manuel Fernandez Juncos an enduring source of hope for Puerto Rico's youth.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Casa de Ninos Manuel Fernandez Juncos on the occasion of its 120th anniversary and in commending its remarkable legacy of service and continued dedication to improving the lives of Puerto Rico's children and youth.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the municipality of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, as it celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Vega Baja was officially founded on October 7, 1776, thanks to the vision of Don Antonio Viera and the generosity of Don Manuel Negron Benitez, who provided the land to establish the town. It is a remarkable coincidence of history that Vega Baja shares its founding year with our Nation, making this semi-quincentennial an especially profound milestone for both.

Over the past two and a half centuries, the city has been a cornerstone of Puerto Rico's development. It grew into an agricultural powerhouse, known for its sugarcane and citrus. Later, in 1873, the establishment of the Central San Vicente, the island's first sugarcane refinery, transformed the local economy and cemented Vega Baja's legacy in our island's industrial history.

But the true heart of Vega Baja lies in its people. Walking through its historic downtown, you can feel the deep cultural identity of a community that has raised generations of educators, artists, athletes, and public servants who have made Puerto Rico proud. This year 2026, the 69th edition of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade was dedicated to Vega Baja, affectionately known as the ``Ciudad del Melao Melao,'' in commemoration of this 250th anniversary.

Reaching 250 years is no small feat, and it reminds us of the critical role of sound public administration. Simply put, no city endures and thrives for two and a half centuries without dedicated administrators and leaders who consistently prioritize the well-being of their citizens.

I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mayor Marcos Cruz Molina and the thousands of proud vegabajenos on this historic occasion. Here's to the next 250 years of progress and prosperity for Vega Baja.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Grupo Guayacan, Inc. on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. The organization's roots trace back to a 1994 study commissioned by founder Enrique ``Ricky'' Adsuar Gonzalez, which proved that Puerto Rico lacked a local private capital market to drive economic development. Founded in June 1996 as a private-sector-driven nonprofit, Grupo Guayacan officially marked this milestone on June 13, 2026, and will honor it with a public celebration on October 3, 2026--the event that occasions this submission into the Record. Adsuar Gonzalez established the organization under three guiding principles: it must be a non-governmental effort, have a governance structure led by the private sector, and be structured as a non-profit entity. For three decades, Grupo Guayacan has been a cornerstone of Puerto Rico's economic development, spurring the local private equity market by providing local institutional investors with access to top tier private equity investing through a partnership with Abbott Capital, leading the creation of the entrepreneurial ecosystem by offering world class education and tools to entrepreneurs at different stages of growth and facilitating access to capital to early- stage entrepreneurs in order to achieve lasting prosperity for the Island. This partnership with Abbott Capital was strategically designed to give Puerto Rican investors access to private equity investments and protect public funds, often referred to by Adsuar Gonzalez as ``the people's savings.''

Puerto Rico's economic future cannot rest solely on federal transfers or public spending. It must be built on new businesses, sustained growth of both SME's and innovation-based companies, the successful transition of legacy family businesses, retained talent, and well- paying jobs that keep Puerto Ricans at home. Grupo Guayacan has understood this from the beginning. Its founding premise--that a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem equals a strong economy, and that a strong ecosystem needs risk capital to grow--has been validated over three decades by over 3,500 entrepreneurs who have built extraordinary companies across the Island, hundreds of instructors and mentors, and dozens of investors who have seen their capital grow and remain in Puerto Rico with Guayacan's support.

Grupo Guayacan's portfolio of programs addresses economic development at every stage of a venture's growth. I-Corps Puerto Rico, aligned with the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps initiative and delivered in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology, converts research and innovation into viable businesses--a direct investment in Puerto Rico's knowledge economy, now in its 22nd cohort. The EnterPRize Competition, which has been running uninterruptedly since 2005, was the first program in Puerto Rico to provide equity-free seed capital to early stage entrepreneurs. This year, it welcomed 30 startups from nearly 150 applicants across sectors central to Puerto Rico's economic diversification: health, technology, education,

agriculture, and retail. The Scale Up Bootcamp program designed in collaboration with Banco Popular, the Island's principal financial institution, just awarded a $50,000 seed capital prize and a $20,000 special prize to two SME's--a direct private-sector investment in the Island's high-growth companies. The Guayacan Venture Accelerator program, now in its 16th year, has served 202 growth companies, each with well over a million dollars in revenue, and 675 participants. Notably, the participating companies in this program only represent 13,000 jobs in Puerto Rico's economy.

On October 3, 2026, Grupo Guayacan will host its public anniversary celebration at Liberty Square in San Patricio Plaza, showcasing over 50 alumni entrepreneurs and a full day of performances by program alumni. It will notably launch its first children's book, Enrique y el guayacan, to instill the possibility of becoming an entrepreneur in the next generation and illustrate the lasting impact of three decades of investment in Puerto Rican talent.

Mr. Speaker, expanding economic opportunity in Puerto Rico is among my highest priorities in Congress. Grupo Guayacan is one of the most important private-sector partners in this work. I commend Executive Director Laura Cantero and the entire Guayacan team for their extraordinary service to Puerto Rico's economic future, and I congratulate this institution on 30 years of building the entrepreneurial foundation from which our Island's talent can build upon and thrive.