Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte vowed to strengthen programs that empower women and provide them greater opportunities for growth and success.

(Quezon City government facebook page/ file)

“Our women are now more financially capable and independent. Ayon sa ating online business registry, tumaas ng higit apat na libo ang bilang ng mga babaeng may negosyo sa ating lungsod kung ikukumpara noong 2021 (Our women are now more financially capable and independent. According to our online business registry, the number of women with businesses in our city has increased by more than 4,000 compared to 2021),” Belmonte said in her State of the Women’s Address (SOWA) on Saturday, March 9.

“Ngayon, sa pitumpung libong negosyo sa lungsod, kwarenta porsyento (40%) ang pinamumunuan ng mga babaeng negosyante na nagbibigay ng hanapbuhay sa mahigit dalawang daang libong babaeng QCitizen (Today, of the 70,000 businesses in the city, forty percent (40%) are led by female entrepreneurs, providing employment to over 200,000 female QCitizens),” she added.

In 2024, more than 14,000 women received various livelihood initiatives and assistance such as Pangkabuhayang QC, POP QC, Tindahan ni Ate Joy, SIGA and SIGAP.

Through the Quezon City Public Employment Service Office, more than 31,000 women have secured jobs to support their families.

Belmonte also emphasized the role of education in achieving gender equality, noting the increasing number of female students benefiting from expanded educational programs.

“Sa pagdami ng mga kurso sa ating Quezon City University, tumataas din ang bilang ng mga mag-aaral  (With the increase in courses at our Quezon City University, the number of students is also increasing). Out of more than 3,000 graduates last year, 63 percent were female and now are fully equipped to join the country’s workforce," she said.

“Idagdag pa natin ang mga hinuhubog nating mga babaeng mag-aaral sa mga pampublikong elementarya at sekondarya na nasa mahigit 204,000, o 48 percent ng kabuuang student population sa elementarya hanggang Grade 12 (Let's add to that the female students we are training in public elementary and secondary schools, which comprise over 204,000, or 48 percent of the total student population in elementary through grade 12),” she added.

From 2019 to 2024, the city government has supported more than 39,000 scholars from senior high school to post-graduate studies, with 64 percent of them being women.

She also reaffirmed the city government’s commitment to tackling major health concerns affecting women, particularly hypertension, pneumonia, and diabetes. 

The city continues to provide free medical check-ups, maintenance medicines, pneumococcal vaccines, and nutrition education in health centers.

Quezon City also became the first local government unit to pass the Integrated Cancer Control Ordinance, ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive cancer prevention and treatment approach.

Belmonte expressed deep concern over the rising cases of Violence Against Women (VAW), which surged from 7,000 in 2022 to over 10,000 in 2024, with more than 4,000 cases involving psychological abuse.

To combat this alarming trend, the city is intensifying information campaigns and promoting Helpline 122 to encourage women to report abuse cases.

“Ang laban para sa gender equality ay hindi lang laban ng kababaihan—ito ay laban nating lahat. Babae man o lalaki, bata man o matanda, ano man ang kulay o katayuan sa buhay. Sama-sama nating isulong ang isang lungsod kung saan ang bawat babae ay may boses, dignidad, kalayaan, at may pantay na oportunidad upang magtagumpay (The fight for gender equality is not just a women's fight—it's a fight for all of us. Women or men, young or old, regardless of color or status in life. Together, let's advance a city where every woman has a voice, dignity, freedom, and an equal opportunity to succeed),” she said.