(in photo above) Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (second from right) during the culminating activity of the 8-week pilot run of the “Kuha sa Tingi” program which aims to reduce the use of sachets in communities (photo from Quezon City Government Facebook page).
Mayor Josefina “Joy” Belmonte of Quezon City, Philippines has been named a 2023 Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for her leadership and policy achievements in curbing plastic pollution and greening the Philippines’ most populous city.
The annual Champions of the Earth award is the UN’s highest environmental honor that recognizes outstanding leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment.
Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director, said Belmonte’s leadership and policy achievements exemplify how local authorities can solve global environmental problems.
“Cities can be the dynamic engines of change we need to overcome the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste – and mayors can help to lead that charge,” said Andersen.
Belmonte, one of the five 2023 laureates, received the award in the category of Policy Leadership and is the first Filipino elected official to receive the recognition.
Under Belmonte’s leadership as mayor, the Quezon City government has implemented policies to reduce the use of plastic, prevent plastic pollution, and prioritize environmental initiatives.
Among the major initiatives recognized by UNEP include the City’s ban on single-use plastics, a trade-in program for plastic pollution, and refill stations for everyday essentials.
The Quezon City government has enacted ordinances prohibiting the use of single-use plastic bags and disposable cutleries, straws, and cups in restaurants and fast-food chains for dine-in customers; single-use containers and sachets in hotels; and plastic bags for customers of shopping malls, supermarkets, fast-food chains, drug stores, and other retailers registered under the Business Permits and Licensing Department.
In 2021, the City launched the Trash to Cashback program wherein residents can trade recyclables and single-use plastic products in exchange for environmental points, which can then be used to purchase groceries and pay utility bills.
The Quezon City government also partnered with Greenpeace in June 2023 for the “Kuha sa Tingi” program, which establishes community-based refill hubs in sari-sari stores (small, neighborhood shops selling various products for nearby residents) to help address plastic pollution and provide residents with more affordable and eco-friendly alternatives to products that usually come in sachets.
Belmonte has also led the City government’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, which enabled the City to allocate resources for climate action and allot 11 to 13 percent of its annual budget to climate change mitigation and adaptation programs and projects.
Through the City’s membership in the C40 Cities network, the City launched its Climate Action Implementation (CAI) program in 2022. The program aims to implement transformational climate change actions and mainstreaming activities based on the city’s enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP).
Other initiatives in the City include a food surplus recovery program with the Scholars of Sustenance; the Grow QC program, a collective and multi-sectoral food security initiative which has generated green jobs from urban farms; adoption of a city-wide composting program that turns organic waste into soil conditioners while generating biogas which can be used for cooking; and the development of an Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) with Clean Air Asia to improve air quality in the City.
The Quezon City government is a member of ICLEI Southeast Asia and is one of the cities that reports to the CDP-ICLEI Track, a unified climate reporting platform for cities around the world. ICLEI and Quezon City have previously worked together in various climate action-related projects including the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network, Circle Lab for Cities, and the One Planet City Challenge.
Quezon City is also one of the Philippine pilot cities under the ICLEI-implemented Sparking Active Mobility Actions for Climate-friendly Cities (SPARK) project which aims to increase the role of active mobility in building resilient and safe transport systems, contribute to national emission reduction targets, and promote climate-friendly mobility behavior.
