Build, Build, Build? Or Build, Sustain, Sustain? (What do I hope to achieve?)
By: Luis Emmanuel G. Fleta
The common notion and indicator for economic progress is the presence of skyscrapers and infrastructure like the ones in Makati and Bonifacio Global City (BGC). While that may be partly true, the concept of sustainable development is often lost in the discussion as long as the bosses are satisfied and the economy is buzzing.
We often forget that buildings are big emitters of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming, leading to severe droughts and floods. And for a typhoon-prone Philippines not to mention a densely populated Metro Manila, floods and disasters become a normalized part in the lives of Filipinos living in the urban metro. But this should never be the case. Japan has numerous densely populated cities and they are disaster-prone too. But because they have state-of-the-art facilities, they are able to minimize damage while promoting sustainability structures with respect to the environment. Their floods even look clean and litter-free!
Meanwhile, Mandaluyong City’s green building ordinance have already been in place for almost six years now (passed in 2014). In fact, the city was the first LGU in the country to adopt such kind of ordinance.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, helped Mandaluyong City develop a green-building ordinance that aims to reduce energy consumption in new buildings by up to 20 percent and generate about P355 million in cost savings for businesses and households within the first three years of implementation.
The initial construction costs for green buildings are usually bigger than conventional ones, so naturally it would hurt in the short term. However, the long term savings in operation and maintenance are said to be worth it, not to mention contributing to the longevity, energy-efficiency, safety, and is overall not harmful to the environment.
Now the big question is, why should this initiative come from the private sector only?
As we all know, the current administration has its own infrastructure agenda - Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program. What I fear happening is no different to what has been happening in the past - favoring low construction costs but neglecting sustainability, prioritizing speed of completion over safety, and just the outright lack of research for greener alternatives.
So, what do I hope to achieve when I say Build, Sustain, Sustain?
As responsible citizens, let’s participate in forwarding the greener advocacy. We are stakeholders too, which means we have a role in the policy-making process. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to create infrastructure especially if it would cater to the Filipino people. But let’s not throw sustainability out of the window if we want to achieve ‘true’ economic development.