Mayor Joy Belmonte is the first elected woman Mayor of Quezon City, the largest city in Metro Manila. She champions the protection of women, children, and the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as climate action and inclusive economic empowerment.
Under her leadership, Quezon City has earned over 500 local and international awards, including five consecutive unmodified opinions from the Commission on Audit, five straight Seals of Good Local Governance, four consecutive Most Competitive City recognitions from the Department of Trade and Industry, and multiple Most Business-Friendly City awards from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. City programs such as iRISE-UP, GrowQC, and QC Birth Registration Online have also been honored in the Galing Pook Awards.
Mayor Belmonte was awarded the Gawad Lingkod Bayan ng Pangulo, the country’s highest distinction for public servants who have contributed to community empowerment and governance reforms.
She serves as National Chairperson of the League of Cities of the Philippines, Acting Executive Vice President of Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, and is a convenor of Mayors for Good Governance.
She has received major accolades for environmental sustainability, human rights, and gender inclusivity—including being named a Resilience Champion by the National Resilience Council, a United Nations Environment Programme Champion of the Earth, and one of Forbes’ 50 Sustainability Leaders in 2024. She was also awarded the Commission on Human Rights’ Gawad Tanggol Karapatan and the Equality Champ Award by the Philippine Financial Inter-Industry Pride.
She espouses servant leadership, participatory governance, and data-driven decision-making.
