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URL: https://www.unep.org/resources/report/geo-cities-towards-green-and-just-cities

TITLE: GEO for Cities - Towards Green and Just Cities

AUTHOR: UN Environment Programme

DATE PUBLISHED: 18 Nov 2021

KEY CONTENT: The GEO for Cities provides the solutions that can lead to environmentally sustainable and just cities. Like our goal of applying strict eco-friendly policies, this is about a movement we must make for cities and human settlements to be inclusive, safe, resilient, and environmentally tenable.

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URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA-jtwVFC3g

TITLE: One Mindanao: Pagtugot sa ‘Open Pit Mining’

AUTHOR: GMA Regional TV

DATE PUBLISHED:  FEBRUARY 23, 2022

KEY CONTENT: One of the provisions of the Environmental Code of Cotabato is to have a periodic review every five years. They presented letting open pit mining in South Cotabato, which was disagreed upon by the people in the public hearing claiming that it would not benefit their communities but the businesses.

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TITLE: A more sustainable Mindanao: Accelerating energy efficiency and conservation for local development

AUTHOR: ICLEI-SEAS

DATE PUBLISHED:  SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

KEY CONTENT: The ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability Southeast Asia has spearheaded the second installation of its regional forums on energy efficiency and conservation. Around 180 key players from the Mindanao region attended the forum, including local governments, national government agencies, the private sector, energy service providers, and academic and industry experts. Participants came from all over Mindanao, including the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga and Davao regions, Soccsksargen, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, allowing for robust and wide-ranging discussions about EE&C in the context of the region.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that despite stunted economic activities at a global scale, energy demand will persist upward and this trend would not leave soon. While energy consumption has dropped in the short-term due to lockdowns and decreased mobility, policymakers and governments would need to identify other energy streams to sustain growing populations, support economic roles, and commit to a low-carbon future. Greening the grid through renewables is strategic due to its decreasing costs and ecological case but is only one part of the equation. Energy efficiency and conservation - which encourages energy savings and cuts emissions using innovation and behavioral changes - is gaining local traction and the Philippines is not missing out on its benefits.

In cooperation with the Department of Energy , and partnership with the European Union-Supported Access to Sustainable Energy Programme , the Asian Development Bank , the ASEP-CELLs Project , and Xavier University , the ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability Southeast Asia has spearheaded the second installation of its regional forums on energy efficiency and conservation.

Last July 23-24, 2020, the Virtual Mindanao Energy Efficiency and Conservation Forum for Local Development explored the key elements of energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C) and highlighted the local framework that enables the participation of local governments and other stakeholders in streamlining EE&C in development planning.

A key part of the forum was a presentation of Director Patrick Aquino on the features of the Republic Act 11285 or the EE&C Act of 2019. In his keynote address, the Energy Utilization Management Bureau Director underpinned the importance of keeping the momentum brought by the new policy, giving local government the much-needed leverage to mainstream energy efficiency programs and activities.

"Energy efficiency drives conservation that improves productivity. In turn, less energy utilization redounds to cost efficiency. Energy efficiency brings forth conserved resources in all accounts. The advantages are boundless and limitless from the economic standpoint and on the development perspective. We all speed ahead to a progressive and sustainable Philippines."

The forum gathered around 180 key players in the Mindanao region composed of local governments, national government agencies, the private sector, energy service providers, and academic and industry experts. The participants hailed from the entirety of Mindanao - Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga and Davao regions, Soccsksargen, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao - facilitating robust and wide-ranging conversations around EE&C within the context of the region.

European Union Delegation to the Philippines Acting Head of Development Cooperation Willy Hick thanked the partners for organizing a regional activity and said "This will certainly bring EE&C into a higher and broader perspective that will help improve the quality of life of the Filipino people."

Engineer Al-Montazer Mandong of the Ministry of Environment Natural Resources and Energy of BARMM emphasized Mindanao's support and eagerness for mutual cooperation with players within and beyond the region.

"We look forward to working closely with the government and the private sector in pursuing the implementation of the energy efficiency and conservation law, policies, and programs in addressing potential issues and concerns and in rationalizing energy demand consumption in the Bangsamoro. We can apply our learning in this forum as we gear towards energy-efficient buildings and conduct and audit our steps in lowering our energy cost our power consumption."

After almost three decades of legislative discussions, the bill was signed in 2019, a breakthrough that will have rippling effects on the country's energy security agenda. Under the EE&C Law, local government units shall capture their EE&C initiatives in a local EE&C plan, ensuring harmony with their existing development plans and objectives. The forum also tackled other critical areas for energy efficiency such as developing and financing projects, creating incentives, and exploring local technologies and innovations.

Energy efficiency brings multiple benefits such as boosting the sustainability of energy systems, enabling local governments' social and economic objectives, and encouraging environmental targets. Achieving sustainability requires a set of tools and frameworks to tackle complex development challenges. Energy efficiency and conservation - with its economic, environmental, and social advantages - forms a critical part of the answer, and ICLEI-SEAS is dedicated to bridging the gap with its local government partners.

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A more sustainable Mindanao: Accelerating energy efficiency and conservation for local development

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This article first appeared in ASEP-CELLs' official newsletter "Transverse". The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that despite stunted economic activities at a global scale, energy demand will persist upward and this trend would not leave soon. While energy consumption has dropped in the short-term du

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TITLE: LDNs 1st biomedical waste treatment facility now fully operational

AUTHOR: Province of Lanao del Norte

DATE PUBLISHED: March 29, 2022

KEY CONTENT: The Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte implemented the first-ever Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility to solve the biomedical waste problems of the six (6) provincial hospitals in Lanao del Norte, no longer digging holes to burry waste and dealing with its effects from improper disposal. This enforcement prioritizes the province and the well-being of individuals in the area, as it creates a safer environment for them.

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TITLE: Zubiri seeks Villar backing for National Land Use Act

AUTHOR: Rowegie Abanto

DATE PUBLISHED:  Feb 3, 2023

KEY CONTENT: The National Land Use Act establishes a national land-use authority to draft and oversee a national land-use plan that divides land into four categories: protection (for conservation), production (for agriculture and fisheries), settlement development (for residential purposes), and infrastructure development (for transportation, communication, water resources, and social infrastructure).

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TITLE: Davao's waste-to-energy project still pending approval by NEDA-ICC

AUTHOR: Antonio L. Colina IV

DATE PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 1, 2023

KEY CONTENT: The waste-to-energy project of the local government of Davao is still pending approval from the Economic Development Authority. The project will affect 20 barangays, as most places need proper waste management and cannot handle the volume of waste generated. The barangays will establish materials recovery facilities (MRF) to dispose of all the trash correctly and not go into landfills.

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Davao’s Waste-to-energy Project Still Pending Approval By NEDA-ICC

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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 1 February) – The proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) project of the local government of Davao is still pending approval by the National