City pushes for eco-friendly operations in green buildings

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government is currently crafting an ordinance to encourage “environment friendly” operations in companies and establishments of green buildings.

Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival Sr., chairman of committee for environment, said that the City may offer incentives and tax perks for companies that are adopting environment-friendly operations, as well as those new buildings that are designed as “green buildings.”

Archival, who is known for his deep passion on environment, said that Cebu should take a very active stance in addressing the tangible threats of climate change, while awareness is being started by different sectors in the society, the local government unit (LGU) like Cebu City, should also do its part.

He said that companies who are serious in their implementation to run an environment-friendly operations, should be given attention, and that tax-rebate, or any fiscal perks may be given, so that more companies will be encouraged to do so.

In the construction sector, Archival urged contractors to build “Green Building” structures, saying going green is not a mere trend now, but rather it is a serious call.

Creating a “green building” structure will not only limit on design and interior details, but also on the kind of paint it is using. He said dark colors are not friendly to environment as it largely absorbs the heat.

Using bright colors for buildings are encouraged now, as they are environmentally-friendly. “Bright colors reflect the heat of the sun.”

According to Archival, Cebu should create an effective blueprint which prioritizes the “health of the environment” and serious implementation of environmental laws should be adopted by both government and the private sectors.

  In Cebu, there are a few new buildings that claim to have adopted a green building technology.

  The cyber-building at the Mandaue-North Reclamation Area, the RobinLand IT/BPO Center, is one of the first buildings in Cebu that claims to be “green building.”

The “green building” technology is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources such as energy, water, and materials while reducing impacts on human health and the environment.

TG Universal (TGU) building, at the Cebu Asia Town IT Park, is also following the “green building” technology.

TG Universal Business Corporation chief operating officer (COO) Charles Ong earlier said the companies’ upcoming real estate projects will be designed based on the international green building requirements, and these buildings will be duly accredited as “Green Building” by an international accreditation body.

According to Ong, establishing green building structures in Cebu will not only put the province into the world map for environment-friendly provinces, but it will also put Cebu in another dimension attracting investors that are looking for environment friendly building structures.— Ehda M. Dagooc