Investors Summit to promote future-ready QC as top business destination

The highly-anticipated “Quezon City Investors Summit: Future Ready” will promote Quezon City as an ideal destination for investors and businesses as they continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The summit will put the spotlight on Quezon City as top business destination for local and international investors. We hope to attract many investors who can help further stimulate the economy and provide employment for QCitizens,” Mayor Belmonte said.

Scheduled on Oct. 7 at Novotel Manila at the Araneta City, the event will engage investors, business leaders, business associations, chambers of commerce, foreign dignitaries, and Quezon City government officials in discussions on key areas for investments, public-private partnerships and opportunities for expansion and growth.

“Quezon City is future ready, ready for investors, ready to build a better and more prosperous city so that our QCitizens will be able to enjoy the resulting benefits,” said Margarita Santos, head of the Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD) of Quezon City.

Aside from its strategic location, Quezon City also has the homegrown QC E-Services platform that makes business processes such as permit and license applications easy for investors, according to Santos.

“The LGU has automated and digitized 95 percent of the city’s services through its QC E-Services platform. This means potential investors can apply for business permits online,” said Santos, adding that the “permit will even be delivered to the applicant’s business or home address free of charge.”

As a matter of principle, the Quezon City government constantly consults and coordinates with the business sector, which has enabled both sectors to build a relationship of mutual respect and support. “This continued dialogue with the private sector helps all stakeholders to address various challenges and issues, and to think up ways to create a free, fair and fertile business environment,” Perry Dominguez, head of the Local Economic Investment Promotions Office, points out.

The local government is known as an ardent supporter of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), providing them with incentives from tax breaks, tax payment extensions to changing the validity of business permits and licenses to help businesses especially during the pandemic.

Soon, Quezon City will launch its Start-Up QC program to further strengthen and develop the city’s start-up business ecosystem. “This program is calibrated to provide financial gains to innovative, creative and promising business models that can help provide solutions and recommendations to social issues and challenges,” Jay Gatmaitan, Investment Affairs Office head, explained.

The city’s commitment to good governance saw results when the Quezon City government received its second straight unqualified opinion from the Commission on Audit for its annual audit report for the year 2021. An unqualified opinion is the highest audit rating that can be rendered by COA to a government agency.

Recognized for its quality public service, Quezon City has increased its social services budget over the past three years, enabling the local government to provide livelihood opportunities and create more jobs, support education, and provide permanent housing, better healthcare and social safety nets, among others.

Earlier, Margie Santos, head of the summit’s organizing committee, said this gathering of business leaders aims to build investor confidence in Quezon City; generate investments and public-private partnerships and make Quezon City the top of mind preferred investment destination.