The Manila Times
The Joy Belmonte brand of leadership
by : Dr Carl E. Balita
First of two parts
SHE is a leader. Yes, while listening to the state of the city address last October 21, and amid the search for new leaders for this country, I can’t help but dream that a Joy Belmonte brand of leadership can be seen in national magnitude. She is running for a last term as mayor literally unopposed.
Mayor Belmonte is now 54 years old. She holds a social science degree from Ateneo and graduate education in archeology from University College London.
Mayor Joy is recognized by the United Nations Environment Program, and is now listed as one of the 50 Sustainability Leaders by Forbes magazine. She leads the QC as one of the 119 A-list Cities.
SHE is a leader. Yes, while listening to the state of the city address last October 21, and amid the search for new leaders for this country, I can’t help but dream that a Joy Belmonte brand of leadership can be seen in national magnitude. She is running for a last term as mayor literally unopposed.
Mayor Belmonte is now 54 years old. She holds a social science degree from Ateneo and graduate education in archeology from University College London.
Mayor Joy is recognized by the United Nations Environment Program, and is now listed as one of the 50 Sustainability Leaders by Forbes magazine. She leads the QC as one of the 119 A-list Cities.
She is excellent in fiscal management
There was no tax increase, and QC remains debt-free. Quezon City has been cleared with unqualified opinion by the Commission on Audit for four consecutive years. It operates with a budget of P27.41 billion from locally sourced revenue, with P22.9 billion from real property and business taxes. First-ranked in the Department of Finance list of Highly Urbanized Cities in terms of year-on-year growth with a 30-percent increase between fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Under her leadership, discounts are given for early settlement of tax obligations. Digitalization efforts for the convenience and efficiency without red tape.
She leads with technology
The QC E-Services portal has 145 online services at transactions, including tax payment through your preferred payment option. In 2024, online business tax assessment was rolled out and used by 45,000 taxpayers with online tax payments reaching P152.4 million.
A total of 22,824 building permits and clearances have been issued which generated almost P300 million through QC Build Easy, which received the Government Best Practice Recognition in 2023. It takes three days for simple permit applications, and one week for complex permits.
The first online birth registration system in the country was a finalist in the Galing Pook Awards. More than 53,000 births have been registered online since 2022. In 2024, the expanded online services also eased marriage and death registrations.
QC has the centralized Helpline 122 for any disaster or emergency, including violence against women and children, and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, mental health concerns and emergencies, and gambling addiction and related harm.
She builds a business-friendly city
Her team, led by Margie Santos, strengthens the ease of doing business in our city through a streamlined process that we continuously seek to improve. The city is four-time Overall Most Competitive LGU awardee of the Department of Trade and Industry.
It received the Most Business Friendly Local Government award of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for two years in a row, 2023 and 2024. The PCCI-Quezon City, its strong partner, has been elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Most Outstanding Chamber of the Philippines.
Under QC Biz Easy, a new business permit is processed in an hour, while its renewal takes only 10 seconds with free delivery of hard copy of permits, with receipts.
Under our automated zoning evaluation system, the appropriateness of business in a location can be determined in real time. Businesses are geotagged using artificial intelligence, enabling the tracking of trends at patterns of businesses using all these data.
Through the amended Quezon City Local Economic Development Incentives Code, there is two-year tax exemption for new, relocating and expanding medium-to-large businesses in the city. There are also business incentives for businesses in the creative industry, urban agriculture and low-cost housing.
She knows social service
Of the P39-billion approved budget in 2024, more than half was allocated to social services: health, education, livelihood, housing and disaster preparedness. This has been consistent through the years as she prioritizes the quality of life of the people.
A total of 20,000 indigent persons with disabilities and senior citizens are covered by social welfare assistance; 2,800 assistive devices, including e-braille devices, prescription glasses, hearing aids and prosthesis have been given out.
Friendly to startups
QC has become the country’s Innovation and Start-up Capital through the StartUP QC program, the first and the largest of its kind in the country, and Pangkabuhayan QC.
The POP-QC, which showcases the proudly original products from the city, has assisted around 600 entrepreneurs and cooperatives which have collectively earned P18.6 million so far this year.
In April, sari-sari store owners and other nano-entrepreneurs became legitimate business owners. The Market One-Stop Shop, or MOSS, launched last year, has grown more than 2,000 stallholders across all eight efficiently managed public markets, where 90 percent of vendors have capability for cashless transactions.
To be concluded on Nov. 1, 2024
-END-
There was no tax increase, and QC remains debt-free. Quezon City has been cleared with unqualified opinion by the Commission on Audit for four consecutive years. It operates with a budget of P27.41 billion from locally sourced revenue, with P22.9 billion from real property and business taxes. First-ranked in the Department of Finance list of Highly Urbanized Cities in terms of year-on-year growth with a 30-percent increase between fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Under her leadership, discounts are given for early settlement of tax obligations. Digitalization efforts for the convenience and efficiency without red tape.
She leads with technology
The QC E-Services portal has 145 online services at transactions, including tax payment through your preferred payment option. In 2024, online business tax assessment was rolled out and used by 45,000 taxpayers with online tax payments reaching P152.4 million.
A total of 22,824 building permits and clearances have been issued which generated almost P300 million through QC Build Easy, which received the Government Best Practice Recognition in 2023. It takes three days for simple permit applications, and one week for complex permits.
The first online birth registration system in the country was a finalist in the Galing Pook Awards. More than 53,000 births have been registered online since 2022. In 2024, the expanded online services also eased marriage and death registrations.
QC has the centralized Helpline 122 for any disaster or emergency, including violence against women and children, and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, mental health concerns and emergencies, and gambling addiction and related harm.
She builds a business-friendly city
Her team, led by Margie Santos, strengthens the ease of doing business in our city through a streamlined process that we continuously seek to improve. The city is four-time Overall Most Competitive LGU awardee of the Department of Trade and Industry.
It received the Most Business Friendly Local Government award of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for two years in a row, 2023 and 2024. The PCCI-Quezon City, its strong partner, has been elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Most Outstanding Chamber of the Philippines.
Under QC Biz Easy, a new business permit is processed in an hour, while its renewal takes only 10 seconds with free delivery of hard copy of permits, with receipts.
Under our automated zoning evaluation system, the appropriateness of business in a location can be determined in real time. Businesses are geotagged using artificial intelligence, enabling the tracking of trends at patterns of businesses using all these data.
Through the amended Quezon City Local Economic Development Incentives Code, there is two-year tax exemption for new, relocating and expanding medium-to-large businesses in the city. There are also business incentives for businesses in the creative industry, urban agriculture and low-cost housing.
She knows social service
Of the P39-billion approved budget in 2024, more than half was allocated to social services: health, education, livelihood, housing and disaster preparedness. This has been consistent through the years as she prioritizes the quality of life of the people.
A total of 20,000 indigent persons with disabilities and senior citizens are covered by social welfare assistance; 2,800 assistive devices, including e-braille devices, prescription glasses, hearing aids and prosthesis have been given out.
Friendly to startups
QC has become the country’s Innovation and Start-up Capital through the StartUP QC program, the first and the largest of its kind in the country, and Pangkabuhayan QC.
The POP-QC, which showcases the proudly original products from the city, has assisted around 600 entrepreneurs and cooperatives which have collectively earned P18.6 million so far this year.
In April, sari-sari store owners and other nano-entrepreneurs became legitimate business owners. The Market One-Stop Shop, or MOSS, launched last year, has grown more than 2,000 stallholders across all eight efficiently managed public markets, where 90 percent of vendors have capability for cashless transactions.
To be concluded on Nov. 1, 2024
-END-