(philstar.com) | Updated April 23, 2014 –
MANILA, Philippines — International Finance Corp., a member of the World Bank Group, is stepping
up its work with the Philippine government to expand the development of green buildings.
IFC is also conducting technical
studies that will be used in drafting laws requiring new buildings to reduce
electricity use. These measures will help the country cut the greenhouse-gas
emissions of new buildings by 20 percent annually.
A forum titled “Green Building
Imperative,” hosted today by IFC, the Climate Change Commission – which is
chaired by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III – and the Philippine Green
Building Initiative, was attended by
nearly 100 local government officials.
Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator
Loren Legarda, and Climate Change Commissioner Heherson Alvarez were among
those who spoke at the forum. The participants shared green building best
practices and began discussing preliminary plans to adopt such practices among
local governments across the country.
“The unabated use of carbon-based
fuels has drastically altered our global climate—weather patterns are changing
and natural disasters have become stronger, more frequent, and less
predictable,” said President Benigno
Aquino III in a statement released by
Malacañang , adding that green building is one of the most important steps that
the country must undertake in adapting to climate change and mitigating climate
risk. “It is my hope that this will gain widespread acceptance among developers
and major players."
IFC also is helping the Department of
Public Works and Highways update the National Building Code that will set
minimum green feature requirements for new buildings, save energy and water
resources, and support cost-efficient operations.
With IFC’s support, Mandaluyong City
in Metro Manila passed a green building ordinance that provides incentives such
as tax discounts on machineries and building improvements.
“IFC offers its global technical
expertise to help Philippine government units develop their green building
initiatives,” said IFC Resident Representative Jesse Ang. “We support the
government in implementing its National Climate Change Action Plan, which provides
for ‘greening’ the National Building Code.”
IFC’s green building program,
supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and the
Government of Canada, works with governments and regulators to build capacity
for green buildings through policy and regulatory support. It also provides
financing to support private sector investments in green buildings.
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