The City of Makati has been recognized by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) as one of only three cities on its list of the most environmentally progressive local government units in the Philippines.
Makati placed 19th in the We Love Cites Campaign organized by the WWF from May 13 to June 26.
The WWF cited “Makati City in the National Capital Region is developing a center to provide barangay officials with the basic knowledge and design skills to be able to promote urban design projects designed not just to be eco-friendly, but to promote the respective cultural identity of each barangay.”
Lawyer Michael Arthur Camina, Makati City legal officer and spokesperson of Mayor Abigail Binay, acknowledged and thanked the WWF for recognizing the city as one of the “Green Development Hubs” in the Philippines.
“The Makati City government is humbled and greatly honored by the recognition given by such a prestigious body as the World Wildlife Fund for Nature. More importantly, the recognition is an inspiration and encouragement for the City of Makati, under the leadership of Mayor Abby Binay, to continue and expand programs aimed at protecting the environment and promoting environmental awareness among residents and the general public,” said Camina.
He added that residents should “rest assured that the city shall always lead the way and be in the forefront of environmental innovation in the country. This can be achieved through strengthened and meaningful coordination among the city, barangays and residents in our unified effort to ensure that environment protection and preservation is achieved and sustained for this generation and the succeeding generation.”
Meanwhile, the WWF proclaimed the City of Sta. Rosa in Laguna as the country’s Earth Hour National Capital because of its initiative programs ranging from the erection of solar street lights to the construction of a composting facility designed to minimize landfill waste.
The City of San Carlos in Negros Occidental, on the other hand, placed 4th in the campaign.
The WWF said San Carlos City has positioned itself as the emerging Renewable Energy hub of Asia, hosting two solar parks, a bioethanol and biomass power plants. It added that a swift but careful transition to renewable energy is critical to curb climate change.
The awarding ceremonies were part of a workshop for 50 local and national government representatives to share best practices on low-carbon urban development. The workshop was held from Aug. 17 to 18 at the Hotel Novotel Manila in Cubao, Quezon City.
First launched in 2011, the challenge is a year-long initiative designed to mobilize action and support cities in the global transition towards a climate friendly and one-planet future by stimulating the development and dissemination of best practices for climate mitigation and adaptation.
Last year, seven cities in the country joined – Cagayan de Oro, Makati, Naga, Parañaque, San Carlos, Santa Rosa and Quezon City. A total of 124 cities from 20 countries around the world joined the 2015 to 2016 challenge.
The We Love Cities Campaign uses the power of social media to raise additional awareness for the 47 finalist cities of the Earth Hour City Challenge, while giving the public a chance to celebrate, vote for and suggest improvements for their home cities.
“Cities play a major role as contributors to climate change and rapid development. They are centers for consumption and carbon emissions – generating 70% of global emissions,” explains Earth Hour Philippines Director Atty. Gia Ibay.
“With the cities of Santa Rosa, San Carlos, Makati and our other green hubs leading the way, we can create cleaner and more livable spaces for Pinoys. We hope the example set by our seven Earth Hour City Challenge entries convinces other Pinoy cities to develop sustainably. Homegrown solutions are already available to transform our cities into eco-friendly, stress-free and low-carbon urban spaces.”