To help local government units and regulated industries, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), signed an agreement with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) that will boost green financing in the country by providing concerned stakeholders access to the best financing program available for their environmental improvement initiatives. The agreement, signed April 12, 2012 at the DBP Executive Lounge, was inked by EMB Assistant Director Gilbert Gonzales for the DENR and DBP President Francisco Del Rosario, Jr. Under the MoA, the DENR-EMB will work hand-in-hand with DBP as well as other financial institutions to assist its stakeholders in gaining access to financing programs that will support projects on improved environmental compliance, pollution control, waste management, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Gonzales conveyed the DENR’s optimism on the partnership as it seeks to help industries and other establishments, including government offices, to comply with existing environmental laws and standards. “We recognize that the reason for non-compliance (to environmental requirements) is due to lack of funds to support investments in environmental improvements and pollution control. Through this partnership with DBP, we hope to address this gap and strengthen the implementation of the country’s environmental laws,” Gonzales said. DBP President Del Rosario, on the other hand, stressed that the agreement provides a framework for a partnership arrangement between DBP and EMB for purposes of providing training and consultancy services to improve the country’s efforts to clean and protect the environment. “The DBP continues to reaffirm its commitment to help industries, especially those cited for violation, to bring them back to a state of compliance and improve their environmental performance,” del Rosario said. Alongside the DENR-EMB and DBP MoA, two other agreements were entered into by DBP. One was with European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) President Hubert D’Aboville and the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) Secretary General Octavio Peralta. The other one was between DBP and the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) represented by its Managing Director Sreenivas Narayanan. ECCP President D’Aboville described the partnership as a means to promote further the concept of sustainable development in the country by “introducing new business models that lead to greater profitability.” ADFIAP Sec. Gen. Peralta expressed his group’s commitment to make this green initiative work. ASSIST Managing Director Narayanan, on the other hand, highlighted the need to boost small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs’) access on green financing. According to her, there is a need to educate SME’s in applying for financing programs to enhance the sector’s growth. The DBP has continued to be at the forefront of the banking sector in supporting investments for environmental improvement. Credit facilities such as the environmental development project and the regional infrastructure for growth project have greatly helped the private sector, national agencies and local government units implement their environmental programs through the provision of credit and technical assistance support. In 2011, the DENR cited the DBP for their green operations and was given an environmental excellence award during the 2011 recognition awards for eco-friendly government offices.

Posted on April 18, 2012

Weekenders will be treated to a free concert and the sight of hot air balloons floating against the backdrop of the glorious Manila Bay sunset when the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) is officially inaugurated as one of the world’s New Seven Wonders of Nature (N7WN) on April 21 at the One Esplanade grounds beside the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, it was announced by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje.

Paje said the organizers, led by Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn and representatives of government agencies that were members of a task force created to spearhead the campaign for the PPUR prior to the proclamation, decided to hold two celebrations – one in Metro Manila, and the other in Puerto Princesa City the following day.

“Mayor Hagedorn himself has said that the victory of the PPUR is not a victory of Puerto Princesa City alone but of the entire country, and this is a chance for everyone to ‘share’ in that victory,” said the environment secretary.

Paje is urging Filipinos, especially those in Metro Manila and in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, to attend the celebrations to show national pride in the PPUR’s victory. “This is our way of saying a big ‘thank you’ to all Filipinos who voted for the PPUR or joined in the global campaign that led to the win,” he said. The environment chief acted as the campaign manager during the voting period.

N7WN president and founder Bernard Weber, along with representatives of countries hosting the contest’s six other winners, will also grace the event.

The inauguration will see Weber turning over a commemorative plaque to the Philippine government. The bronze-cast panel measures 130cm x 110cm x 7cm (4.25’ x 3.6’ x 0.23’) and is a heavyweight at 120 kilograms. The N7WN site describes it as “liquid metal… combined with 21st-century aesthetics.” The PPUR plaque was the first produced for the N7WN winners by an old foundry in Munich, Germany, and will be installed at a still-to-be-determined site in Metro Manila. A similar plaque will be installed near the PPUR entrance itself in Palawan.

Hot air balloons will be moored in the area at 3 p.m. and will float overhead until just before the program starts at 6 p.m. The program itself, along with the free concert, will be held at the open grounds beside the One Esplanade building, on a stage that will be designed to resemble the iconic cave entrance to the PPUR. The event will flow for more than an hour and end with a grand fireworks display.

The organizers have been finalizing the lineup of local artists to sing during the concert, but among those who have confirmed include Sarah Geronimo, Joey Ayala, and the shadow-play group El Gamma Penumbra. TV personalities Luis Manzano and Grace Lee will host the event.

The PPUR was declared as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature on November 11, 2011. The other six winners were Halong Bay in Vietnam; the Amazon of South America; Iguazu Falls between Argentina and Brazil; Jeju Island in South Korea; Komodo in Indonesia; and Table Mountain in South Africa. The PPUR’s inauguration will be the first among the winners.