13 November 2022, SEOUL - A delegation led by Quezon City Mayor Ma. Josefina Belmonte comprised of Liga Ng Mga Barangay officials and officers of the Quezon City government undertook a Benchmarking mission on sustainable practices in governance in Seoul, Korea from 09-13 November 2022. The delegation was welcomed by the Philippine Embassy in Seoul led by Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega.

Emphasizing that innovation starts from the smallest units of local government in her address to the delegation, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega underscored the significant role of the local government units as the vanguard for development and innovation. She also assured the delegation of Embassy's continued support to local governments as they embark on benchmarking activities that will aid in governance and in ensuring efficient delivery of services to the people.

Mayor Belmonte conveyed the Quezon City government's appreciation to the Embassy and presented the Ambassador with a symbolic "Key to the City". Mayor Belmonte also expressed appreciation to the Philippine Embassy team for making the benchmarking mission possible, as the Quezon City government is keen on learning Seoul's best practices on environmental sustainability which may be adopted and applied in Quezon City.

During the mission, the QC delegation had a briefing on best practices with City Net which is the largest association of urban stakeholders committed to sustainable development in the Asia Pacific Region. They also learned about Seoul's urban development projects especially environmentally-friendly rehabilitation and restoration projects of now famous tourist attractions and recreation spaces. The delegation also engaged in a discussion on various approaches to recycling as well as upcycling at community-based recycling centers in Mapo and Gangnam and the Seoul Upcycling Plaza. The participants will be working on Re-Entry Action Plans (REAP) based on the lessons from the mission. END