Towards a Greener Footprint for Iloilo City A Multi Stakeholder Forum
We Cannot Do Everything but Everyone can do Something
July 14 (Friday), 8:00 am – 12:00 nn
SM Cinema 3, SM City Iloilo

KEYNOTE MESSAGE
SECRETARY MARIA ANTONIA YULO LOYZAGA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY.

I WISH TO ACKNOWLEDGE
HONORABLE MAYOR JERRY P. TREÑAS OF ILOILO CITY
SM SUPERMALLS – VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE COMPLIANCE ENGR. LIZA SILERIO
PGAA CREATIVE DESIGN – PRINCIPAL DESIGNER L. ARCH. PAULO ALCAZAREN
UNITED ARCHITECTS OF THE PHILIPPINES – CO-CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEE ON GREEN ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT ARCH. MICHAELA ROSSETTEE SANTOS-TAYAG

AND ALL DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, OUR DEAR LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GOOD DAY TO ALL OF US.

CITIES PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT, THEY ARE ENGINES OF GROWTH. THIS GROWTH IS THE RESULT OF SYNERGIES FROM THE INTERSECTION OF SOCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND ECOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHIES WHICH IN TURN DRIVE URBAN CULTRES AND IDENTITIES. THEY HAVE A SPECIFIC METABOLISM, FUELED BY THE USE OF NATURAL AND MANMADE RESOURCES AND HUMAN TALENT.

MOREOVER, THEY ARE THE LOCUS OF SOME OF THE KEY CHALLENGES OF THIS CENTURY, CLIMATE CHANGE, SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE, INEQUALITY AND INCLUSION.

THE PHILIPPINES IS AN URBAN NATION, WITH 54% OF ITS POPULATION LIVING IN URBAN BARANGAYS AS OF 2020 (PSA 2022). AT 42% URBAN, WESTERN VISAYAS RANKED EIGHTH, AMONG THE REGIONS IN THE COUNTRY IN TERMS OF PEOPLE LIVING IN CITIES. IN ILOILO CITY, HOWEVER IT IS 79% URBAN ACCORDING TO OUR PSA.

WITH A POPULATION OF OVER 457,000 IN THE CORE CITY AND OVER 1 MILLION IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA, ILOILO PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN CONTRIBUTING TO NATIONAL GDP, AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO REGIONAL GDP IN 2021 WAS SECOND ONLY TO NEGROS OCCIDENTAL. BUT ITS PROSPERITY IS BOTH A PROMISE, AND MAYBE A PERIL.

IN MY VIEW, ILOILO IS THE MOST MODERN VERSION OF THE BEAUTIFUL COASTAL GARDEN CITY. THE ESPLANADE AND OTHER FEATURES THAT HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN OVERTIME ARE KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY AND THE CONSERVATION OF BUILT HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS THE ELEGANCE OF HER CULTURE.

HOWEVER, WORKING TOGETHER ON THESE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF URBAN GROWTH IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL NEED TO DO TOGETHER.

“HOW DO WE GREEN ILOILO CITY’S FOOTPRINT?” WHICH IS THE THEME OF TODAY’S CONFERENCE.

WE KNOW THAT WHERE ILOILO FOR EXAMPLE, IS FLOOD PRONE IN MANY LOW-ELEVATION AREAS SUCH AS THE FORMER SALT BEDS. IT IS ALSO PERENIALLY SHORT OF WATER DESPITE ABUNDANT WATER SOURCES IN THE CITY. THE LACK OF ACCESSIBLE, SAFE WATER AND SANITATION IS ESPECIALLY FELT BY MANY LIVING IN THE COASTAL AND GEOLOGICAL HAZARDS ZONES. WE KNOW THAT ILOILO ALSO GENERATES 370 TONS OF SOLID WASTE A DAY- A PART OF THE METABOLISM OF THE CITY. THIS IS A PROBLEM, AS MAYOR JERRY HAS SAID, IS BEING SOLVED PROGRESSIVELY NOW, AND LOOKING AT WASTE-TO-ENERGY AS A WAY TO SOLVE IT.

BUT ARE THERE OTHER MEASURES THAT WE CAN TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION? FROM MY POINT OF VIEW…

THE FIRST STEP TO THIS IS TO CONDUCT A FULL GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY THAT IDENITFIES HOW MUCH THE SECTORS CONTRIBUTE TO THE CITIES EMMISSIONS AND ESTABLISH GOALS FOR EMISSIONS REDUCTION.

SECONDLY, WE MUST DESIGN A STRATEGY TO THAT EMMISIONS REDUCTION THAT ASSIGNS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BRINGING THE TARGET TO ITS FRUITION BY EACH OF THE SECTORS.

THIRD, WE MUST INVENTORY OUR GREEN AND BLUE ASSETS. SO MAYOR, I AM ALSO ADVOCATING NOT JUST GREEN IN THE CITY, BUT BLUE-ING THE CITY AS WELL IN ACCORDANCE TO OUR FAVORITE SCHOOL. OUR TERRESTRIAL, OUR COASTAL AND MARINE FORESTS ARE HERE AND WE CAN CALCULATE THEIR CARBON SEQUESTRATION CAPACITY AND STORAGE. NOAA OF THE UNITED STATES, FOR EXAMPLE, ESTIMATES THAT MANGROVES AND WETLANDS SEQUESTER CARBON AS MUCH AS TEN TIMES GREATER THAN MATURE TROPICAL FORESTS. THIS IS A KEY OPPORTUNITY FOR ILOILO CITY TO GREEN ITS CITY BY TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION ITS BLUE ASSETS.

WE NEED TO BUILD BETTER AND MORE WITH LESS – THIS IS A BORROWED SLOGAN FROM ONE OF OUR PARTNERS, HOLCIM CEMENT, WHICH USES SOLID WASTE FROM OVER 40 LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS AS FUEL IN THE PRODUCTION OF A LOW CARBON CEMENT INSTEAD OF USING FOSSIL FUELS IN ITS PROCESS. WE MUST CHECK THE CARBON INTENSITY OF OUR BUILDING MATERIALS, AND THAT IS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UAP FOR EXAMPLE, IN TRYING TO DETERMINE HOW CARBON INTENSITY IS GOING TO BE AFFECTING THE GREENING PROGRAM OF THE CITY.

FIFTH, VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE UNDERSTANDS THE ENVIRONMENT AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY AND ICONICALLY TRUE FROM OUR VENTANILLAS TO OUR USE OF THE TRANSLUSCENT AND ICONIC CAPIZ. BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE WE SHOULD REVIVE, AND REALLY STRIVE TO ADOPT AND EVEN UPDATE THESE FEATURES AND PRINCIPLES. WE HAVE ALREADY ADAPTED FROM SOME OTHER CULTURES. WE CAN REVIVE THE ALJIBE OR THE CISTERN IN OUR HOUSEHOLDS AS A FEATURE OF OUR WATER STORAGE. THE USE OF MASHRABIYA, FROM ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE, IN MANY FORMS I’VE SEEN ALREADY HERE IN THE CITY, TO SHIELD US FROM DIRECT SUNLIGHT BUT ALLOW LIGHT TO COME THROUGH OUR BUILDINGS AND HOUSES IS ONE THAT COMES TO MIND. THESE ENVIRONMNETAL PRINCIPLES CAN BE TRANSLATED TO SCALE FROM HOUSEHOLDS TO BUILDINGS.

SIXTH, WE NEED TO CONDUCT A METRO-WIDE BIODIVERSITY INVENTORY THAT COVERS BOTH FLORA AND FAUNA, AND ADOPT NATURE-BASED AND GREY-GREEN SOLUTIONS TO NATURAL HAZARDS. THE RIGHT SPECIES OF MANGROVES IN PARTICULAR, CAN SAVE BOTH LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS FROM STORM SURGE BY UNDERSTANDING THE RISK THAT WE ALL FACE.

THE WORLD BANK QUOTES ESTIMATES FOR NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS PROVIDING TO UP TO 37% OF MITIGATION NEEDS TO STAY WITHIN THE 1.5 DEGREE TARGET OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT BY 2030. WE CAN PROVIDE BOTH ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND WE CAN ALSO ABSORB CARBON BY USING THESE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS. IT HAS A POWERFUL ROLE TO PLAY IN ACHIEVING CO-BENEFITS FROM A SINGLE CLIMATE ACTION INVESTMENT.

THERE ARE RISK RESILIENCE STUDIES ALREADY THAT HAVE BEEN DONE FOR ILOILO CITY. MANY OF THESE HAVE TO DO WITH WATER IN PARTICULAR. WE ALSO KNOW THAT FOR EXAMPLE, MANY HOUSEHOLDS REMAIN EXPOSED LIVING IN AREAS THAT ARE FLOOD-PRONE, AND IN TERMS OF CROP REDUCTION AND AGRICULTURE, ALMOST 60% OF PRODUCTION IN OUR CROP LANDS AND FISH PONDS ARE AFFECTED BY FLOODING. THESE CAN ALL BE ADDRESSED BY NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS.

THE SAME STUDY THAT THE DENR HAS DONE ALONG WITH DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS ALSO IDENTIFY COASTAL LGUS IN ILOILO THAT ARE AFFECTED BY STORM SURGE. THEY APPROXIMATE ABOUT 279,000 PEOPLE AND HOUSEHOLDS ARE EXPOSED. WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS IN TERMS OF NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS AS WELL.

ADDITIONALLY, PHIVOLCS HAS IDENTIFIED ILOILO CITY, ALONG WITH OTON, LEGANES AND ZARRAGA AS TSUNAMI-PRONE. NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS CAN ALSO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS HERE, AND GREY-GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CAN ALSO DO THE JOB.

TO BE GREEN, RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE, WE NEED TO ADOPT A SCIENCE INFORMED RESILIENCE STRATEGY AND A NEXUS OF GOVERNANCE THAT INCLUDE CLIMATE ACTION AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME BUT THEY ARE LINKED. DISASTER RISK REDUCTION LOOKS AT THE PAST AND TRIES TO REDUCE KNOWN RISKS FROM HAZARDS, WHILE CLIMATE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION SEEKS TO ADDRESS THE PLAUSIBLE AND NOT JUST THE POSSIBLE FUTURE SHOULD WE NOT DECARBONIZATION RIGHT AWAY.
ILOILO CITY IS FORTUNATE IN THAT IT ALREADY HAS MANY SENSORS AND INSTRUMENTS THAT COLLECT DISASTER INFORMATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA. IT ALSO HAS A WELL-TRAINED DRRMO, VERY ORGANIZED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND A CLIMATE DISASTER AND RISK SENSITIVE URBAN PLAN. IN THAT SENSE, IT IS A LEADER IN TERMS OF CLIMATE AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN THE COUNTRY.

I PROMISE I JUST HAVE A FEW MORE POINTS.

NOW MY 8TH POINT WOULD BE TO HELP US ENGINEER THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY. WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE. REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE ARE JUST ONE PART THIS EFFORT TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE. WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVELY THE EXTENDED PRODUCERS LAW THAT OBLIGES ENTERPRISES TO COLLECT ALL THE PLASTIC PACKAGING THAT THEY USE IN WHATEVER FORM, AND MANAGE THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT THAT THEY END UP CREATING. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IS AT THE CORE OF HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE COLLECTION OF THESE WASTES LEADS TO REDUCTION OF THE EXTRACTION OF NEW MATERIALS AND WE CAN REUSE THE RECYCLABLE MATERIALS FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY. WE WILL LAUNCH THE EPR IMPLEMENTATION ON AUGUST 4 AND HOPE THAT THE CITY AND ITS BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND OTHER ADVOCATES WILL JOIN US IN THAT LAUNCH.

9TH, WATER IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF ALL SYSTEMS AND THE GREEN-NESS OF A CITY. ALL WATER FROM THE GROUND AND ON THE SURFACE BELONGS TO THE STATE. IT DOES NOT BELONG TO PRIVATE LANDHOLDERS WHOSE PROPERTY ITS SPRINGS FROM OR TRAVERSES. I KNOW THAT WATER HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR ILOILO CITY. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL CRITICAL STUDIES THAT SUPPORT THE ESSENTIAL AND CRITICAL PRACTICE OF INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, AND THE CITY IS AMONG THE LEADERS IN THIS REGARD.

INTERATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL EQUITY, ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTANABILITY.

WE NEED TO COLLECT RAINWATER TO USE AND IMPOUND TO CONSERVE. ENSURE AVAILABILITY OF SURFACE WATER THROUGH THE MAINTENANCE OF WATERSHED COVER. INVEST IN THE APPROPRIATE ENGINEERING AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO DELIVER WATER FROM SOURCE. AVOID, IF NOT REDUCE DRASTICALLY EXTRACTION OF GROUNDWATER WHICH IN LOWLYING COASTAL AREAS CAUSES SUBSIDENCE AND INCREASES FLOODING. WE CAN INVEST AND MAINTAIN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE MULTIPLE USES OF WATER. EXPLORE NEW TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS MODULAR DESALINATION AND MODULAR SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS.

10TH WILL BE THE SHIFT TO RENEWABLE ENERGY, AS MAYOR JERRY HAS ALREADY MENTIONED THIS AS PART OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT. SOLAR AND WIND ARE BEING ENCOURAGED AS ENERGY SOURCES. THE DENR HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED THE FIRST VERSION OF THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE GUIDELINES FOR FLOATING SOLAR AND OFFSHORE WIND. WE WILL FINALIZE THE GUIDELINES BY THE END OF THE YEAR BUT HAVE ALREADY JUMPSTARTED THE IMPLEMENTATION WITH PILOT PROJECTS OF FLOATING SOLAR IN LAGUNA DE BAY.

11TH AND I’M CLOSE TO MY FINAL POINT, I PROMISE. LET US BECOME FOOD SELF SUFFICIENT AS A CITY THROUGH THE USE OF DROUGHT AND FLOOD RESISTANT SEEDS AND COMBINING TRADITIONAL AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE WITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. WATER INTENSITY COUNTS. A 2008 STUDY BY IRRI SAYS IT TAKES 2500 LITERS TO PRODUCE JUST 1 KILO OF RICE IN A FIELD. WE CAN ALSO UTILIZE OUR HOME GARDENS TO GROW OUR OWN FOOD, PUBLIC FUNDS WHERE POSSIBLE AND MAKE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DISTRIBUTION MORE EFFICIENT BY SCALING THE LOGISTICS PROPERLY. LET US KEEP IN MIND AS WELL, NUTRITION IS IMPORTANT TO FEED OUR YOUNG MINDS. CHILD STUNTING IS A CHALLENGE IN MOST URBAN AREAS AND THIS LEADS ME TO MY TWO FINAL POINTS.

THE FIRST FINAL POINT IS ON GOVERNANCE AND GREEN-NESS- WE NEED RISK-INFORMED NEXUS GOVERNANCE TO ACHIEVE A GREEN FOOTPRINT – RECOGNIZE THAT ECOSYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT THE CITY ARE OUTSIDE ITS POLITICAL AND ADMININSTRATIVE BOUNDARIES. YOUR NEIGHBORS’ WELL-BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE ARE INTERRELATED WITH YOURS. OUR URBAN PLAN, ARCHITECTURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE MUST REFLECT THIS CONNECTIVITY AND THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF VULENRABILITY THAT CAN BE AMPLIFIED BY THE DESIGN OF OUR CITIES. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MARGINALIZATION ARE REFLECTED IN THE LIMITED ACCESS TO SAFE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HEALTH AND EDUCATION, SOCIAL PROTECTION AND LIVELIHOOD. THESE PHYSICAL ASPECTS ALSO REFLECT THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO THE POOR TO FORM CAPITAL THAT CAN TRANSFORM THEIR VULNERABILITIES AND EXPOSURES TO NATURAL AND MANMADE DISASTERS INTO OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH. WE NEED TO SEE THAT WHERE THEY ARE FOUND, IN WATERWAYS AMONG THE MANGROVES AND ECOSYSTEMS THAT THESE LOCATIONS RESPOND TO THE DAILY NEEDS OF THE POOR FOR FOOD, WATER AND HYGIENE- THIS IS WHERE URBAN ARCHITECTURE IS AT ITS MOST BASIC- IT IS REFLECTIVE OF THE WILL TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN THE CITY – ESSENTIALLY THESE ARE NEEDS THAT ARE YET UNMET BY THE CITY.

FINALLY, RESILIENCE DEMANDS UNITY, STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. WE MUST MAINTAIN AND PROTECT OUR CULTURAL AND SOCIAL IDENTITY OF THE CITY BY PRESERVING BUILT HERITAGE, KEEPING UP WITH THE VALUES AND SOCIAL CAPITAL THAT ACTUALLY BIND THE CITY. ILOILO CITY MUST HOLD FAST TO THIS IDENTITY AS IT IS THE SOCIAL FABRIC THAT IS THE SOUL OF THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY.

AS WE ALL GO ON THIS JOURNEY TOGETHER, IT’S CRUCIAL TO REMEMBER WHY ONE OF THE URGENT AND CRITICAL REASONS WE SEEK THIS GREENER FOOTPRINT IS TO BATTLE CLIMATE CHANGE.

IN BATTLING CLIMATE CHANGE, EVERY FRACTION OF A DEGREE COUNTS TO STAY WITHIN THE 1.5 TARGET BY 2030 SO EVERYONE MUST DO THEIR SHARE. THE DENR IS WITH YOU IN THIS FIGHT AND IN GREENING AND BLUE-ING YOUR BEAUTIFUL COASTAL GARDEN CITY.

COHERENCE, CONVERGENCE AND SYNERGY ACROSS ALL SECTORS ARE NEEDED. A WHOLE OF SOCIETY AS WELL AS A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH. TOGETHER LET US CREATE, DESIGN AND BUILD THIS CITY THAT WE NEED FOR THE FUTURE. WE MUST BUILD THE CITY THAT WE WANT FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR GENERATIONS TO COME, AND WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT NO ECOSYSTEM, NO COMMUNITY AND NO ONE MUST BE LEFT BEHIND.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

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