Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje lauded a key element of the Quezon City (QC) government plan to “win the future” by arresting the adverse impact of its rapid economic growth by making its buildings more energy- and resource-efficient over the next decades.
Paje expressed gratitude for the city’s local executives for implementing the Green Building Ordinance (GBO) 2009, saying their leadership in the green building movement “widens the road” for other local leaders to enhance economic and environmental governance in their respective localities.”
“The initiative shown by Quezon City’s local executives, led by Mayor Herbert Bautista, to erect green buildings is perhaps the first of its kind in the Philippines and is worth emulating. I hope this initiative catches the attention of the Climate Change Commission which listed green cities and municipalities as one of its key result areas for the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP),” said Paje, noting that climate change and global warming are seen as the primary drivers that will increase the adoption of green building in the Philippines.
Paje explained that the rising interest in green buildings puts to rest the “ecology versus economy issue” as a matter of choosing between two priorities but “a matter of understanding how to harmonize these priorities to ensure sustainable development.”
“The ordinance is a giant leap into bringing about a competitive environment that may result to better access to sustainable products and innovation paving the way for green jobs in the Philippines,” Paje said.
GOB 2009 is the city’s Ordinance No. SP-1917, series of 2009 entitled, “An Ordinance Requiring the Design, Construction, Retrofitting of Buildings, Other Structures and Movable Properties to Meet Minimum Standards of a Green Infrastructure, Providing Incentives Thereof and for Other Purposes.”
It was approved by then Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. on April 2, 2009, but the implementation started last April only.
Tax incentives provided for under the ordinance are seen to increase market demand, hasten industry to respond that may result to lower prices of green building goods and services.
The ordinance, which gives tax cuts in real property taxes as incentives for building owners, covers buildings/structures classified by the National Building Code, namely: hotels, office buildings, malls, dry markets, wet markets, and slaughterhouses (commercial); schools, office buildings, and hospitals (institutional); and factories, and warehouses (industrial).
The ordinance also gives emphasis on site conservation and sustainable planning, water conservation and efficiency, energy efficiency and renewable energy; conservation of materials and resources and indoor environmental quality and human health.
Building owners have the option to have their buildings certified “green.” They must submit technical requirements to be able to obtain two certificates, namely: a Preliminary Certificate (PC), and a Final Certificate (FC).
To obtain a PC, building owners must submit the following requirements: construction activity control pollution prevention system, energy efficiency plan, water use reduction system involving water efficient fixtures, waste management plan, designated smoking area layout, and sewage treatment plan.
A new building project or building renovation can earn up to 100 points. The points have equivalent tax credits which will be issued by the City Treasurer and City Assessor in the PC, as follows: 90-above points (super gold) earns 25% tax credit; 70-89 points (gold) gets 20% tax; 50-69 points (silver), 15%; and below 50 (certified green building) will not earn any tax credit.
