Belmonte welcomed the 18 visiting students who were accompanied by Dr. Lowell Bakke, director of the Doctor of Ministry Program, and Bakke University president Brad Smith and professor Gwen Dewey.
The group came from key cities in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Bakke Graduate University regent Emerita Corrie Acorda-de Boer, in her letter to Belmonte, said participants "would like to share with them your secret of outstanding leadership in the transformation of Quezon City."
Bakke University is an international Christian training institution providing doctoral and masteral courses in urban leadership development. Its founders and financiers of Mustard Seed foundation, support urban poor ministries in the Philippines and other parts of the world.
In Quezon City, the foundation has funded several pre-school and community development projects and has continued to provide substantial grants to train Filipino Christian leaders.
— Perseus Echeminada