Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said on Friday, Nov. 24, that "automation" or making the city government services accessible for QCitizens online is the greatest tool for good governance which resulted in several accomplishments the local government received this year.
The lady mayor announced this during her fifth State of the City Address (SOCA) on Friday, Nov. 25, held at the Carlos Albert Hall, Legislative Building at the Quezon City Hall compound. By
During her speech, the mayor thanked the local government employees for their dedication to serve the QCitizens as she reported the city's achievements for the year 2022-2023.
She stressed that most of these achievements were results of the automated city government processes.
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"Automation is our greatest tool for good governance. Ginagawa nitong possible na matanggal ang katiwalian at palakasan at ginagawang patas ang anumang proseso para sa lahat (It eliminates corruption, and it strengthens and makes any process fair for everyone)," Belmonte said.
"This also allows for the fast, accurate, and timely entry of/and access to data. Kapag may tamang datos, tama rin ang ating magiging programa at walang masasayang na pondo (If the data is correct, the programs will be right and no funds will be wasted)," the mayor added.
She said that 100 percent or 24 of the city's services and transactions of the local government can already be accessed through the QC E-Services online portal.
She shared that due to the accessibility of city government processes online, many QCitizens have benefitted from the city's fast, quality and efficient programs and initiatives for health, education, livelihood, other social services, infrastructure, as well as businesses.
It also makes the city's services more convenient to city residents as they will not be required to visit the City Hall and wait for long queues just to submit documents and check the status of their applications while in the comfort of their homes.
Among the automated programs and services she shared were the QC Birth Registration Online (BRO), the Market One Stop Shop; and the process of paying taxes, applying for business permits, and other fees through the QC E-services portal.
Belmonte shared that the QC BRO allows city residents to register births online which ensures that the names and other details of new-born babies as well as adults are correct in their birth certificates. There are 26,652 births that were registered through the QC BRO.
The program was nominated in the 2023 Galing Pook Awards, an award giving body that recognizes innovative programs and efforts of local government units that help in the improvement of the lives of the residents of their cities.
The MOSS, an interlinked digital system that allows market vendors and operators to conveniently apply for market stalls and renew various permits online using their phones or computers, already registered about 96 percent of the vendors of the city.
The mayor said that the city government also provided hawker permits to 687 street vendors through the online portal.
Belmonte said that the automated payment of real property taxes, renewal/application of business, building and ancillary permits, and other services also led to a better and faster completion and delivery of services for the QCitizens.
About 10,000 businesses were also registered in the city as of 2023 which, according to the mayor, is a result of the digitalization of services as well as other efforts to attract investors, entrepreneurs to operate in QC.
She shared that the local government have 15 satellite offices and 54 upgraded e-service kiosks placed all around the city for easy access to residents.
Belmonte added that after the online process, residents who have to submit physical documents may put the files inside drop boxes at the city hall and the six district offices which lessen face-to face interaction with city employees and prevent bribery or corruption.
She also said that they have improved the city's internet connectivity to support its digitalization efforts and ensure access of services online which will transform QC into a really "smart city."
With the innovations done by the city government, Belmonte said that they were awarded by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the "Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit (Highly Urbanized Category) for 2023.
Other automated initiatives include social and health programs, and application of scholarship for students, livelihood, among others.
"Kung susumahin ko ang mga nagawa ng ating lokal na pamahalaan, masasabi ko pong malayo na ang ating narating ngunit malayo pa ang ating maaaring abutin. Hindi lang natin natatanaw ang magandang kinabukasan, ramdam na ramdam na ito mga mamamayan (If I sum up the achievements of our local government, I can say that we have come a long way but we still have a long way to go. We can't just see the bright future, the citizens can already feel it,)"
Meanwhile, Belmonte said that through proper management of funds, the city government has received its 3rd consecutive unmodified/unqualified opinion from the Commission of Audit (COA), the highest rating given by the agency to a public institution or local government unit, when its auditor concludes that all the financial statements are prepared in accordance to an applicable financial framework.
She said that the P35.1 billion general funds for 2023 and the P1.6 billion supplementary budget (the biggest budget approved by the city council in the history of QC) was allocated to program that benefitted the residents.
The mayor said that the funds were allocated to different city government initiatives, including social services (with P13.4 billion budget allocated), education (P5.3 billion), and infrastructure (P3.4 billion).
Belmonte also shared updates regarding the city's different programs as well as the more than 200 awards the city received this year from different institutions and groups for innovations and good governance.
She called on the Sangguniang Kabataan to take the lead in addressing various youth-related issues including mental health, illegal drugs, online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, education, and climate change.
The mayor thanked the city council, city government, and village officials, and the residents for their dedication and cooperation in their programs and asked them to continue supporting the efforts for a better QC.
Present during the SOCA were Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, city representatives, councilors, and department heads, former city government officials, Quezon City Police District Director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan and the 16 local police station commanders.