5 more LGUs join WWF’s One Planet City Challenge

MANILA, Philippines – Five local government units qualified for the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) for the first time.

WWF announced Tuesday that the first-time qualifiers from the Philippines are Davao City, Dipolog City, La Carlota City, Malolos City and Muntinlupa City.

Returning to the OPCC are Batangas City, Cagayan de Oro City, Parañaque City, Pasig City, Quezon City, Santa Rosa City, San Carlos City and Tagum City.

The OPCC is a challenge for cities to present plans for low carbon development, “including a dramatic increase in the use of sustainable and efficient renewable energy solutions and sustainable urban transport systems.”

“With these new cities joining this iteration of the OPCC, it shows that, year by year, we as a country are becoming increasingly concerned with our impact on the environment,” WWF-Philippines president Joel Palma said in a statement.

With the addition of five cities, Palma hoped more cities in the country will take part in this movement.

“I hope in the future runs of OPCC, we will see even more Philippine cities joining, and that as a nation we begin taking our commitments to the climate more seriously,” Palma said.

Cities with the most innovative plans will be recognized as national winners and may be crowned as the OPCC global winner.

Last year, Pasig City was named as the national winner for the OPCC while Uppsala in Sweden emerged as the global winner. (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)