MANILA, Philippines -- Canon Marketing (Philippines) said Wednesday it will turn off its neon signage along South Super Highway and all the lights at its Makati Headquarters and branch offices for one hour on Saturday in support of Earth Hour 2008.

Earth Hour, a global climate change initiative, is a project of the World Wide Fund (WWF), which calls on individuals and businesses around the world, to switch off their lights for one hour (from 8 to 9 p.m.) on Saturday.

WWF said it hopes that with Earth Hour, people all over the world will realize that the collective action of individuals can help change the planet for the better, stressing the strong connection between energy usage and climate change.

Earth Hour debuted last year when two million residents of Sydney, Australia, hit their light switches and as one city, enveloped themselves in quiet darkness to support the movement. This year, it has grown to be a global campaign, with 24 other iconic cities across the world lighting out.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, in his Easter Sunday message, urged all Filipinos to participate in the Earth Hour action. The Philippine Daily Inquirer is also a supporter of the project.

“We want the rest of the world to know that our little actions, even all the way here at Canon Philippines, will add up to something significant in the fight against global warming. This is just one of the ways Canon is striving to become a more environment-friendly company,” Canon president and chief executive Ramon G. Artificio, said in a press statement.

“This will be one instance when a nation swathed in darkness is a nation united,” the Canon statement said.