QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Sunday was all praises for the five City Hall officials led by City Treasurer Edgar Villanueva, who emerged as Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) 2026 “Gawad Pagasa” awardees.
“As I congratulate them on behalf of ‘QCitizens’ and City Hall employees for a job well done, I am taking pride of them for showing to the public how the city government people are working with dedication, competence and excellence,” said Belmonte, a recipient of CSC’s 2025 Gawad Lingkod Bayani award for her “exceptional contributions with nationwide impact, particularly in areas of public interest.”
Aside from Villanueva, honored with the Gawad Pagasa awards held late last week in Intramuros, Manila were Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, Business Permit and Licensing Department head Margie Mejia, the city’s Department of Building Official chief Isagani Verzosa Jr., and Engelbert Apostol, head of the city’s Public Affairs and Information Service Department.
In a Viber message to Villanueva thanked Belmonte for her leadership, which benefits city officials like him, and gave much of the credit to the entire city treasurer’s office workforce for their trust and continued support.
“First of all, I thank the Lord for being chosen and included among the awardees. With the stewardship of Mayor Joy Belmonte, I only did what I had to do as the city treasurer — to strengthen the city’s financial position and tax collection efforts to fund the necessary expenditures for infrastructure, healthcare, education, peace and order, and disaster response,” Villanueva said.
A former ABS-CBN executive, Apostol said he never dreamed of becoming a CSC awardee alongside other individuals who have made outstanding contributions to public service.
