Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to transparency and participatory governance.
The mayor issued the assurance during her recent 7th State of the City Address, stressing that the city government remains committed to upholding transparency, digitalization, public participation and accountability, citing its participation in the global Open Government Partnership initiative.
“But we have proven that genuine change is possible when we muster the courage not only to be excellent but, more importantly, to be honest to the oath we have taken. We have been audacious in our actions and firm in our convictions,” she said.
To elevate efforts toward genuine transparency, the city will integrate the QC Open Data dashboard into the QC e-Services platform.
A digital application will also be launched, where QCitizens can post their comments, suggestions, and complaints about city government projects and programs.
Through responsible and sound financial management, the local government can increase the city’s annual budget without putting additional burden on residents.
This year, the government allocated 54 percent of the P41.3-billion annual budget to programs on education, health, housing and livelihood, according to Belmonte.
The city also allotted over P6 billion for education, meeting the UNESCO benchmark of spending at least 15 to 20 percent of public expenditure on education.
A total of 458 infrastructure projects were completed for public schools across the city, benefiting over 410,000 students.
Through a P5-billion budget for the health sector, various health services were strengthened, such as the free maintenance medicine program, mental health interventions and early cancer detection, Belmonte said.
