The Quezon City government's efforts to further enhance the city's business climate received another boost during the 49th Philippine Business Conference and Expo at the Manila Hotel.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented Quezon City with the 2023 Most Business-Friendly local government unit Award-City Level 1A under the Highly Urbanized City category.

Mayor Joy Belmonte received the award together with Business Permits and Licensing Department Head Margie Santos, City Assessor Atty. Sherry Gonzalvo, Small Business and Cooperatives Development Promotions Office Head Mona Yap and Local Economic Investment and Promotions Office Head Jay Gatmaitan.

The PCCI-QC, led by its president, architect Alfred Carandang, garnered the Most Outstanding Chamber for NCR and the Philippines-City Level 1.

"I share these awards with our city officials and employees who are working tirelessly to give businesses an ideal climate where they can flourish, and provide employment and livelihood opportunities to QCitizens," Belmonte said.

"This victory proves we are headed in the right direction, serving as an inspiration and a driving force for us to develop more programs and projects that will help businesses thrive," she added.

Belmonte credited the local government's digitalization under the QC E-Services Program as a driver for the city's continued economic growth even during the pandemic, as it helped streamline business processes, turning Quezon City into an attractive destination for investors.

"After we automated our business processes, we have seen a 350-percent increase in capital investments totalling P51 billion in 2022. We even held the groundbreaking of the world's biggest data center in the city, a testament to the overwhelming trust and confidence of the business sector," the mayor said.

In 2022, the city recorded 10,216 new business registrations, a 25-percent increase compared to just 7,652 in the previous year.

Quezon City also puts premium on startup businesses through the institutionalization of the StartUP QC program, providing them with mentorship, networking activities and financial grants for their continuous growth.

The local government also provided micro, small and medium enterprises needed assistance such as bazaars to expand their market, capacity-building seminars for cooperatives, capital assistance to more than 25,000 nano-businesses and training and upskilling of more than 30,000 would-be entrepreneurs.

This year, the city has achieved a grand slam by receiving the most coveted awards in the country. Aside from being adjudged the Most Business Friendly LGU, it also bagged the Most Competitive City recognition from the Department of Trade and Industry, the Seal of Good Local Governance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Galing Pook Award for its iRISEUP hazards monitoring system and a third consecutive Unqualified Opinion from the Commission on Audit.