ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte has declared Sept. 8 of every year as the “National Green Building Day” to promote environment-friendliness and energy-efficiency among buildings in the country.
Duterte signed Proclamation No. 1030 on Oct. 21. The document was made public Wednesday.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a green building involves the “practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.”
Duterte’s proclamation states: “To promote development in the construction sector, it is imperative to intensify existing initiatives to promote and raise awareness on the efficient and equitable use of resources, proper water and waste management and integration of eco-friendly processes and systems.”
The proclamation also raised the need for the provision of opportunities to encourage cooperation between public and private sectors in advancing the government’s commitment to protect the environment.
The Department of Public Works and Highways was ordered to coordinate with non-government organizations and other groups to identify programs, projects and activities for the observance of National Green Building Day.
In 2019, a world air quality report by IQAir ranked the Philippines’ air quality 57th worst in the world. John Ezekiel J. Hirro