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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider Quezon City offers new gender option in permits

Quezon City offers new gender option in permits

Published Jul 30, 2026 02:57 pm
QC Meetings, Incentives, Conference & Exhibitions (M.I.C.E) Center (Photo courtesy of Quezon City government)
QC Meetings, Incentives, Conference & Exhibitions (M.I.C.E) Center (Photo courtesy of Quezon City government)
Quezon City has become one of the first local government units (LGUs) in the country to add a third gender option to its online business permit system, making the process more inclusive for entrepreneurs.
The enhancement was implemented through the city's upgraded QC Biz Easy platform, allowing business owners who do not identify strictly as male or female to more accurately represent themselves in government transactions while helping the city collect more inclusive data for policymaking.
According to the city's Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD), the additional gender option is intended to make business permit applications more responsive by removing limitations that do not accurately reflect the identity of some business owners.
Mayor Joy Belmonte said the initiative underscores the city's commitment to inclusive governance by ensuring that every resident can access government services with dignity, respect, and equal opportunity.
"The true measure of innovation is not how advanced a system becomes, but how many people it empowers. By making our business permit process more inclusive, we are ensuring that more entrepreneurs can participate fully in the city's economic growth and access government services in a way that recognizes who they are," Belmonte said.
The city government said the enhancement forms part of its continuing digital transformation efforts to improve public services through innovation and evidence-based governance while strengthening the quality and inclusiveness of the data it collects.
Officials said the improved data will help Quezon City better understand the communities it serves and develop policies and programs that are more responsive to the needs of the local business sector.
The initiative fulfills a commitment announced during the 2025 QC LGBTIQ+ Business Summit, when the city pledged to revisit its online business permit system and explore ways to better capture information on non-binary business ownership.

Related Tags

METRONEWS Quezon City QC Biz Easy business permits non-binary gender-inclusive entrepreneurs BPLD Mayor Joy Belmonte local government units digital governance
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