BG2010 : The Government Forum
January 26, 2010 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel
The Building Green 2010- the Government Forum highlighted the public sector's agenda in green building.
Public leaders spearheading the effort presented their programs and platforms for green governance.
Industry, professional and trade groups were part of the panel discussions that sought to initiate dialogue for green building.
The Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC) is presently at the forefront of this development as it continues to engage council partners and members in the development of the Philippines’ green building rating system that is expected to increase the uptake of green building in industry.
BERDE – the National Green Building Rating System was developed as a third party, consensus – driven, market-based sustainability development tool, that may be utilized and may be made part of public policy (national and local) to rapidly accelerate the promotion and development of greener buildings.
During the Government Forum, the public sector engaged in a dialogue that sought to bring together society and industry in moving forward with sustainable building.
SPEAKER PROFILES
MS. MARY JANE ORTEGA, Chairperson, BG2010 Government Forum
Mary Jane served as a three term Mayor with a total of nine years in the City of San Fernando, La Union, Philippines. She received the United Nations Scroll of Honour Award in 2000 for being committed to the empowerment of women and advocating her city's development strategies; the Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence in Governance, and several national awards in education, environment, social services and most recently, received a national award from the Philippine Red Cross for her involvement in International Humanitarian Law, and disaster preparedness program of the La Union-San Fernando Chapter which she has served as Chairperson for the past 10 years. She is a part time lecturer in Governance at the Ateneo University, consultant on legislative affairs to the League of Cities of the Philippines, consultant of the World Bank on the Philippine Urban Consortium, and recently elected Secretary General of CITYNET, an association of cities and NGOs in Asia Pacific.
MR. DEREK PAGE, Director, UK Trade and Investment
Derek is a career diplomat and until recently, was on secondment to UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). He has been working in UKTI for a number of years on the development and deployment of their strategic solution to join up trade and investment work across the globe, the Customer Relationship Management system, or CRM. This is recognised by the Office of Government Computing as one of the successful UK Govt IT projects. Following the study of Scandinavian languages, Derek worked in the private sector both in the UK and overseas before joining Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service in 1974. His early diplomatic career focused principally on trade promotion activities whilst serving in Scandinavia, South Africa, India, Germany, South America and the Far East. More recently he served in the Middle East and the FCO’s Emergency Unit, in the aftermath of September 11th. Derek has worked on several IT related projects for the FCO and also served as Assistant Private Secretary to Lord Carrington, the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, during the period of the “Falklands War”.
HON. JEJOMAR ERWIN BINAY, JR., City Councilor, Makati City
Born on July 12, 1977, he is the third and only son of City Mayor Jejomar Binay and Dra. Elenita Binay. He has been a City Councilor for the 1st District of Makati from 1992 to present. He is also the Majority Floor Leader of the Council and he heads the Committees on Rules and Education. He is the Chair of the Makati Rescue from 1993 to present. He is Vice-Chair of the Makati Local Council for the Protection of Children. He is a Member of the People’s Law Enforcement Board. He is also member of the Board of Trustees of the Makati Parking Authority and the Makati Fire Safety Foundation. An Atenean from Grade School to High school, he has a Bachelor’s degree on Philippine Studies Major in Creative Writing and Public Administration (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines. He is currently taking his Masters Degree in Public Administration also from UP.
HON. ANNA YORK BONDOC, M.D., House Representative, 4th District of Pampanga
Congresswoman Anna York P. Bondoc is on her second term as Representative of 4th District of Pampanga. She is also a young doctor with a specialization in pulmonary medicine, critical care, and internal medicine.
She completed her BS in Psychology degree (cum laude) at the University of the Philippines, Diliman in 1988. She finished her degree in medicine at the University of the Philippines Manila in 1993. Even while still studying at the State University, Congresswoman Anna showed a keen interest in the world of politics. She was elected to the UP Student Council and was a writer for the Philippine Collegian. After graduating from the University of the Philippines and internship at the UP-Philippine General Hospital, Congresswoman Anna moved to the United States to further hone her medical skills. She lived in New York City for six years, focused on advancing her knowledge and experience in her chosen fields of specialization. She completed her training in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the premiere cancer center in the US. She is presently the Philippine Liaison of the International Oncology Program of the said institution. In 2001, Congresswoman Anna returned to the Philippines despite her US diplomat and license to practice medicine in New York State. Eager to serve her fellow Filipinos and countrymen, she painstakingly and diligently developed a network of patients and a support system composed of other physicians over a period of three years. Today, Congresswoman Anna is an Associate Consultant at the Institute of Pulmonary Medicine at St. Luke’s Medical Center and is a Consultant at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
In 2004, Congresswoman Anna first ran for office in the 4th district of Pampanga. Congress woman Anna is one of six deputy majority floor leaders in the 14th Congress. She leads the floor sessions and is a standing member of all house committees. She also authored the Resolution Adopting the Policy of Green Building in All Operation or Maintenance Practices, Future Renovation, Expansion, and Building Project in the House of Representatives (HR 1026), a landmark resolution urging the House of Representatives to be the first green government building in the country. She also filed the Green Building Bill or the Act Establishing a Green Building Standard for Planning, Design, Construction, Operation or Maintenance Practices, Renovation, Expansion and Retrofitting of Government Building Projects in the Country (HB 6397) which was recently recommended to be filed as an Executive Order to fasten approval and implementation, being a much needed measure.
MR. DANILO VILLAS, Head, Environmental Services Department, Makati City
Mr. Danilo V. Villas is the Head of the Department of Environment Services (DES) of the City Government of Makati. He is also the Executive Officer of the Makati Environmental Protection Council, Makati Solid Waste Management Board and the Makati Clean and Green Committee. Mr. Villas is the President of the League of Local Environment and Natural Resources Officers of the Philippines, Inc. (LLENROP), a nationwide organization of city and municipal environment officers. He is also the President of the Association of Metro Manila Environment Officers, Inc. (AMMEO) which is also an organization of environment officers based in Metropolitan Manila. He also heads the Council for Philippine Clean Cities Coalitions.
MR. JASON POMEROY, Director, Broadway Malyan Asia Pte. Ltd.
Jason Pomeroy is an award winning architect and director of International multi-disciplinary design practice, Broadway Malyan. He joined the London office in 2005 to support the cause of sustainable design and Vertical Urbanism and employs these skills in both practice and the lecture theatre. His research at Cambridge considered the notion of the tall building as a vertical city and the 'sky court' as an alternative social space for the 21st century. He continues to pursue this vein of PhD research at the Bartlett school of graduate studies, London. In addition to co-directing the Singapore office of Broadway Malyan, he lectures and publishes widely. He is adjunct research fellow of the Institut Sultan Iskandar, visiting professor of the University Technology of Malaysia, and Mapua Institute of Technology, and sits on the editorial board of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
MR. NESTOR ARABEJO, Member, BERDE Steering Committee | President, Ecotektonika Inc.
He is a champion for sustainable development. He is an active advocate for green building not only in the United States, but also in the Philippines. He has developed sustainable building programs and greening plans that find cost-effective strategies for creating healthy, energy efficient and durable facilities and places. He is the past Chairman of the Advocacy Committee of the U.S. Green Building Council Maryland Chapter. He facilitated sustainable-focused legislation and participated in the review of regulatory measures that increased the number of sustainable buildings. He was instrumental in the realization of the Green Building Legislation in the City of Baltimore. He is a founding member of the Philippine Green Building Council. He is also a member of the United Architects of the Philippines. Architect Nestor Arabejo is the Principal on Sustainability Practice at Ecotektonika, Inc., an award-winning multidisciplinary sustainable consultancy firm focused on the development of sustainable designs and strategies for the built environment.
MAXIMO CACAPIT, Member, BERDE Inception Committee
Max is an experienced Architect and a Landscape Architect who focuses on design consulting and management, both locally and internationally, spending more than 35 years in the field. He is widely respected in Philippine professional circles, evidently in various posts he held in different professional organizations in architecture and landscape. Max is responsible for building and leading several successful design offices for international consulting firms in the Philippines. These teams are guided by his principle of developing and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships with clients by creating dynamic, value-adding solutions to their design projects.
LEO FERRER, Member, PHILGBC Technical Working Group
He is a Registered Mechanical Engineer with 10 years of significant experience in various mechanical engineering works in industrial plants and commercial establishments, more particularly in cleanroom facilities, HVAC installation for commercial / residential areas and bulk material handling facilities like cement raw materials and coal. Furthermore, he has been involved in pre-feasibility studies of hydropower plant projects and detailed design of sewerage pump station.
He is currently a design engineer and a job manager specializing in precision HVAC design and energy analysis. He has also been involved in Hydropower Generation Projects wherein he prepared preliminary turbine sizing and powerhouse layout. Having been involved in projects in cement plant, he is also well versed in Bulk Material Handling and implemented power optimization projects Project Management is also his competence having managed projects in an industrial setup. Recently, he was made Office Facilities Manager having been recognized of his capability in Facilities Maintenance and Improvement. He is also working as an active volunteer to the Philippine Green Building Council and was recently appointed as the Chairman for the Inception Committee for the development of the BERDE Green Building Rating System.
CHRISTOPHER DELA CRUZ, Chairman and President, PHILGBC
He is a Filipino architect, advocates sustainability in business and industry. He has actively campaigned for the establishment of the Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC), an initiative of business, industry, civil society and public sector leaders that promotes sustainable building practices to the property industry. Presently, the PHILGBC is the largest green building movement in the country. He is one of the main proponents for the development of BERDE (Building for Ecologically Responsive\Design Excellence) – the National Green Building Rating System. This scheme is being developed bearing in mind local contexts – including local climate, best practice in design and construction relevant to emerging economies. Chris de la Cruz co-founded Ecotektonika, Inc., a multidisciplinary sustainability consultancy firm focused on the development of sustainable designs and strategies for the built environment. Chris has worked independently with public and private organizations that promote appropriate sustainable practices and strategies to urban and rural settings. His technical expertise includes design, evaluation and project management of environmental management projects. He has also conducted site assessments, evaluations and design preparation for the establishment of solid waste management facilities at the provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels in several regions in the Philippines. He has developed and delivered training sessions on environmental management and sustainable building for several non-profit organizations. He actively contributes to several government programs and committees and has provided opinion in the ongoing development of policy in the area of sustainable building.
Chris believes that for sustainability to progress, solutions must be holistic. He is presently designing the nationwide campaign for Filipinos to ECOSHIFT. EcoShift is the shift from unsustainable practices to actions that are sensitive to environment. Chris is an active member of the United Architects of the Philippines and the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and President of the Philippine Green Building Council.
