COA cites QC LGU for honest handling of funds, good governance

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte. FILE PHOTO

MANILA Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) issued an “unmodified opinion or clean opinion” on the city’s handling of its coffers for the year 2020, believed to be the first in the history of the city.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte explained that this COA opinion is equivalent to Valedictorian honors, which making sure every peso in the city budget is spent wisely for the citizens.

In her first Executive Order in 2016, Belmonte created the Internal Audit Service that strictly followed the Internal Audit Manual of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Belmonte also ordered the extensive audit of all offices and departments of the QC local government unit (LGU).

Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, the city collected its highest revenue collection of P22 billion pesos last year, the best record in its history and also the highest in all LGU’s nationwide. After allocating large expenses to COVID-19 response, the city still saved P24.6 billion, a notch better than 2019 before the pandemic hit.

Belmonte thanked the QCitizens and the businessmen who continue to believe in the capability and integrity of her administration. Numerous programs were implemented to enhance city transactions, such as extension of tax payment deadlines for business and real property, QC Biz Easy, Automated Inspection audit system, QC Real Property viewer, Intensified Real Property Inventory and tax Mapping Operations, QC Build Easy, and QC Pay Easy.

As part of her no-nonsense budget clean-up and zero tolerance against corruption, Belmonte created early on the Contract Termination Review Committee and canceled 51 deficient and abandoned contracts of the past administration. This saved a total of P897 million for the city and immediately redirected to social services and pandemic response. Today, the city remains debt-free, and has excellent financial standing with assets worth more than P450 billion consisting of donated lands, building and roads.

Last month, the city fully vaccinated a total of 1.7 million residents, which is 80 percent of the eligible population. In August, it also gave first doses to these people, a month ahead of the deadline imposed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Belmonte assures the continued honest and clean governance in Quezon City at all times. She remains focused and vows no letup in the delivery of basic services to her constituents.

JPV