‘Give nature a little rest,’ switch off lights for Earth Hour on Saturday night

Even as the country struggles with the high cost and short supply of electricity that has resulted in intermittent brownouts in Mindanao, Malacañang on Friday called on Filipinos to switch their lights off for an hour between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night to join the global observance of Earth Hour.

“We certainly encourage everyone to participate in Earth Hour to be part of the global awareness on the use of energy and (the need to preserve) our environment,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in Friday’s news briefing.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. similarly directed all government agencies, government-owned and -controlled corporations as well as local government units to turn off their lights during the scheduled time in a memorandum issued early this month.

Ochoa also called on government workers across the country to be involved in three simultaneous switch-off rites in Makati City, Cebu and Davao “to help ensure a broader reach of the campaign.”

Earth Hour is a worldwide event organized by the Switzerland-based charitable trust World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Initiated in 2007, the activity, held every last Saturday of March, encourages households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change.

Several Catholic dioceses all over the country are joining the annual observance of Earth Hour as well, with bishops calling on the faithful to “give nature a little rest.”

In an interview over Church-run Radyo Veritas, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle said Earth Hour would serve to remind us “that we are God’s stewards in caring for nature.”

“We will rest from using electricity so that we can give nature a little rest… Let us show the Lord our hope, humility and care for the environment,” Tagle said.

Earth Hour’s observance during the Lenten season should be a reminder of the importance of preserving the environment, said Cagayan de Oro (CDO) Archbishop Antonio Ledesma.

Last year, CDO and nearby Iligan City were struck by deadly flash floods that have been blamed on rampant illegal logging in the area.

“This is our Lord’s Gospel for all of us. That we should really be aware of protecting the integrity of creation. In celebrating Earth Hour, we should also be aware that all of us are linked together in this climate change issue and we should do our part to help by ensuring the balance of nature and restoring the integrity of creation,” Ledesma said.

Catholics in Palawan should use Earth Hour to meditate on the effects of the continuing exploitation of natural resources, particularly mining, said the province’s bishop, Pedro Arigo.

The bigger picture

“Our problem with mining is that only the foreign and local investors and their employees are benefiting,” Arigo said. “If we look at the bigger picture, [we’d see that] the benefits we get [are] not commensurate [to] the social and environmental cost. Worse, [those] who shoulder the effect on the environment are the farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples and ordinary [folk].”

“Through Earth Hour, let us pay attention to ecological conversion (and) on how we treat the environment, which is being overexploited,” Arigo added.

While Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros and Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco have said that their respective dioceses will observe Earth Hour, Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad said Catholics in the province will no longer observe the event because of the regular brownouts that they have been suffering.

Always Earth Hour

“We will no longer observe [Earth Hour] since the power is always out (in our area). Our sacrifices are too much here. It’s as if it’s always Earth Hour,” Jumoad said.

Malacañang said this would be the fifth time the Philippines is participating in Earth Hour, which was first staged in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 when at least 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned off their lights to support the campaign.

In 2008, the Philippines joined Earth Hour, during which power consumption in Metro Manila dropped by 16 percent and by about 56 MW in Luzon, according to data from Philippine Electricity Market Corp.

In 2009, as more cities around the country joined the campaign, power use dipped by more than 600 MW.

By 2010, the energy-saving event had grown to engage hundreds of millions of people in 4,616 cities and 128 countries and territories. Last year, over 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour.

Ochoa called on government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to organize their own Earth Hour event in their homes, communities and localities to show their appreciation for nature and support for the environment.

He likewise directed them to promote Earth Hour 2012 on their official websites, community newsletters and blogs.

“The government agencies and LGUs play an important role in the environmental conservation campaign since it has the resources to help expand the reach of the campaign and step up the battle against global warming and other forms of environmental degradation to ensure that effective actions are being undertaken towards a sustainable future for the next generations,” Ochoa said.

Lights out for Smart

Smart Communications Inc. said it will join the rest of the world in switching off lights as an act of commitment to protect the planet.  Smart will switch off the lights in its headquarters on Ayala Avenue in Makati City, as well as its offices in key areas and billboard sites in Metro Manila. The company has also partnered with WWF-Philippines, NGOs and LGUs in holding lights-off ceremonies in various parts of the country, said Ramon Isberto, head of Smart’s public affairs.—With reports from Jerome Aning, Earthhour.org and Inquirer Archives