Bunye: Helping save the environment

Sunday, November 6, 2011

THIS is proof that government agencies can serve the Filipino people and the environment at the same time.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), together with eight other government agencies, has recently been given the 2011 Recognition Awards for Eco-friendly Government Offices by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Environmental Management Bureau.

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The search for this year’s eco-friendly government offices, launched during the 2010 Earth Day Celebration, assesses the agencies’ implementation of environmental management programs using the four P’s: Policy, Promotion of Awareness, People, and Practices.

The BSP is particularly proud of its disaster control manual, which the search organizers took note of in its assessment.

The organizers took into account the posting of emergency numbers, evacuation plans and emergency lights in strategic locations; and the proper disposal of electronic wastes, used batteries, ink, and fluorescent lamps using standard terms of reference.

The BSP’s greening program, which includes activities such as tree planting and creek dredging, was also considered. Related to this greening program is the recent construction of the BSP greenhouse located beside the Metropolitan Museum.

The greenhouse is used to grow and propagate indoor plants that adorn BSP’s lobbies and event venues such as the Assembly Hall and the Executive Business Center.

The BSP has also invited environment groups and speakers such as Rey Palacio of the Eco-Waste Coalition to give environmental lectures to BSP employees.

Palacio has spoken about a range of environmental issues, from managing plastics in the workplace in one of the BSP’s weekly “Kapihan sa Medical” forums, to the importance of a paradigm shift and serious behavioral change toward the environment during a recent BSP Officers Club, Inc. breakfast discussion.

Lastly, the BSP allots an hour on the last Friday of every month to Mother Earth. Employees are enjoined to turn off their lights and computers to contribute in even their littlest way to the environment.

In a letter addressed to BSP Governor Amando Tetangco, Jr., Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje said that the DENR “recognizes your efforts despite the many challenges each government office faces in adopting and maintaining eco-friendly practices in the workplace.”

Paje had earlier said that the awards underscored the serious commitment needed to adopt and sustain eco-friendly practices in the workplace, “which serve as a second home to Filipinos, and where materials utilized, equipment used, and energy consumed all have an impact on the environment.”

“If our various stakeholders see how we work hard to improve our services and our environmental performance, we can be assured of their full trust and support to address the bigger problems of the country,” Paje stressed.

Aside from the BSP, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the National Housing Authority, and the National Economic and Development Authority were given Citation of Merit Awards.

The National Electrification Administration, the Philippine Heart Center, and the Development Bank of the Philippines, on the other hand, received the Environmental Excellence Awards.

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