BAGUIO CITY PREPARE TO TRANSFORM TO GREEN ECONOMY FOR BETTER HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT

August 17, 2024 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY

Mayor Benjamin Magalong expressed the city’s readiness to transform into a green economy where waste
management and energy efficiency are enhanced through circular economy and renewable energy development. This is one way to arrest urban decay, mitigate climate crisis and achieve the city’s vision of becoming a livable, inclusive and creative city, according to the mayor in his speech during the Inception Workshop for the European Union-Philippines Partnership for Green Economy: Green LGUs Project held Aug. 8-9, 2024.

“Baguio City has long been celebrated for its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, but we are encountering challenges in carrying capacity due to overpopulation. Now, we need to become trailblazers in green economy practices. This transition goes beyond mere waste management – it’s about reimagining our entire approach to production, consumption, and resource use to the entire city system management and public service. By embracing
the principles of a green economy, we’re enhancing the livability of our city for all residents and visitors,” the mayor said.

The mayor earlier created through an executive Order the City Circular Economy Action Team to be headed by himself with co-chair city council committee on health and sanitation. Ecological and environmental protection
Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda and action officers City Planning Development and Sustainability Coordinator Arch Donna Tabangin and General Services Officer Eugene Buyucan to spearhead the planning, designing,
implementation, monitoring and reporting of plans and multi stakeholder initiatives that contribute to the 10R principles (refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle and recover) of circular economy.

He said this proves the city’s unwavering commitment to addressing pressing environmental challenges and
fostering innovative solutions” which requires the cooperation of the community. “This is not just about government action, it’s about collective effort, reflecting the inclusive nature of our city vision. We’ve brought together a diverse team of stakeholders- from city officials to barangay leaders, environmental experts to business representatives,
youth groups to indigenous people’s advocates. This inclusive approach ensures that every voice is heard and every perspective is valued,” he said.

He stressed that the city’s programs “align with national and global initiatives, from the Philippine National Plan of
Action to international agreements on sustainable development and by acting locally through this project, we’re contributing to a global movement while staying true to our unique identity as a creative city.” The mayor said that it may not be easy to achieve the goals but the “rewards are immense — a cleaner environment, a stronger green economy, and a healthier community.”

The Green Economy Programme in the Philippines (GEPP), an initiative of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) and the European Union (EU) launched recently, is a five-year initiative aiming “to enhance waste management, support the transition to a circular economy, and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy technologies” by providing avenues for “policy dialogue, circular economy development and renewable energy promotion” to local government unit (LGU) grantees.

Through collaboration with the LGUs and the private sector, the program is said to aim “to recycle 20,000 tons of
plastic waste by 2028, create green jobs and support waste reduction strategies and to help the Philippines achieve its climate commitments, including a 75 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.” The Green LGUs project where the city is one of the 20 recipient LGUs, is one of the objectives of the GEPP and is being co-led by the Dept. of Interior and Local Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Dept. of Trade and Industry.

It aims to enhance circular economy practices of LGUs in collaboration with the private sector and the civil society
groups. The UNDP said the two day inception activity enabled the gathering of different perspectives of the stakeholders to help shape the local circular economy landscape and establish baselines and identify circular economy actions, innovations, policies and partnerships that may be pursued with support from the project.

Aileen P. Refuerzo/Baguio-PIO