...the Earth Hour hero country

Philippines aims to be Earth Hour Hero Country for 5^th straight year!

 

Nikko Tuazon
Philippine Entertainment Portal
02 March 2013
 

Earth Hour Ambassadors Marc Nelson, Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski and Rovilson Fernandez with World Wide Fund for Nature mascot "Chichi the Panda."

Photo: Courtesy of WWF-Philippines

World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Philippines, the local organizer of Earth Hour, is gunning for the country’s fifth straight win for the title Earth Hour Hero Country.

Earth Hour, which started in Sydney, Australia last 2007, aims to motivate people in reducing their energy consumption by switching off their lights for an hour. The Philippines joined this advocacy on March 28, 2008, at the CCP Open Grounds.
 

This year's nationwide "switch-off" is slated for March 23, at exactly 8:30 p.m. Many of the nation’s landmarks including Cebu and Davao are expected to participate in this event. Cities from Argentina to Zimbabwe are also expected to join in this worldwide call for action on climate change.

In a press conference held last February 27 in Makati City, WWF-Philippines Vice-chair and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan expressed his ambition for more Filipinos to join this stand against climate change.

“We’ve reached a point where the Philippines has not only come across as a leader in Earth Hour but a leader in many technologies and in many ways.

“When we are ahead, let’s stay ahead and when we make a difference let’s make that difference.”
“And we are allowed to make a difference but mainly because we are a democracy, like very few countries in Asia.

“Democracy is not merely freedom, it is participation and that’s the key behind Earth Hour.”

Earth Hour Philippines National director Atty. Gia Ibay also noted that they are now going to use the digital media to motivate Filipinos to participate in the event.

“[For] four straight years, we’ve actually been doing this and now we’re going digital. We are living in such a digital age that we want to capitalize [on] it.

“If Gangnam Style can galvanize other people, why not Earth Hour galvanize people in actually doing something for their planet.”

Atty. Ibay further explained the objectives of their "I Will If You Will" campaign: “We really want the people to not just think about what the challenge is in terms of the handle of ‘I Will If You Will’ but really dare yourself what can you do on a day to day basis?”
 
BEYOND 60+. Meanwhile, Filipina equestrienne and actress Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski joins Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez as the newest ambassador of WWF-Philippines for Earth Hour.

In an interview, Mikee emphasized how a small contribution by every person can make a difference.

She also challenged everyone to go beyond the 60-minute Earth Hour switch off by starting on their own environment-friendly activities.

“Every small contribution is a big deal not just when we add all up because when we put it all together, you know, it all adds up but for ourselves, I think [it’s] the fact that we try to challenge ourselves and no one’s telling us what to do and how we do it.

“It’s how we know ourselves... our strengths, our limitations, our weaknesses and what we think our effort is worth.

 

...the peace effort

World Lauds Aquino Peace Efforts

 

By FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD

June 20, 2012

Manila Bulletin

 

 

 The Aquino administration’s efforts on peace and security are already being felt and recognized not just by the Filipino people, but also by the international community, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles said yesterday.

Deles made the remark after recent studies conducted by the Institute for Economics and Peace and Pulse Asia’s Ulat ng Bayan revealed that peace efforts by the government are gaining headway.

The 2012 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace, it was recalled, ranked the Philippines among the top five nations that registered "improvements in peacefulness."
 
Meanwhile, the Pulse Asia's Ulat ng Bayan survey results showed high approval ratings on the Aquino administration's efforts in "increasing peace in the country."

"Similar to other governance reforms being implemented under this administration, President Aquino's continuing efforts on peace and security are already being felt and recognized not just by our people, but also by the international community,” Deles said.

"These will further raise the public’s hopes for a just and lasting peace," she added.

The 2012 Global Peace Index report stated that the Philippines’ high score was a result of improvements in the indicators, which are homicide rate, number of deaths from internal conflict, likelihood of violent demonstrations, and incidence of terrorist acts.

Moreover, it said the country previously rated at moderate or high levels in the four indicators. Among the incidents that affected the ratings in the past years included the conflict between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in mid-2007, the Maguindanao massacre in 2008, and violence perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu in 2011.

The other countries in the Top Five ranking are Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bhutan and Guyana.

On the other hand, Pulse Asia’s Ulat ng Bayan National Survey conducted on May 20 to 26, 2012 pointed out that 50 percent of respondents approve of the P-Noy administration’s efforts on “increasing peace in the country.”