Big PH firms push for cleaner habitat, sustainable practices
MORE and more Philippine conglomerates are supporting the United Nations’ agenda for sustainable development.
Big Philippine companies are now aggressively laying down their plans on sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment, after over three decades when more than 178 nations congregated in June 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to ensure all human beings enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives and that economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature.
“The future of humanity and of our planet lies in our hands. It lies also in the hands of today’s younger generation who will pass the torch to future generations. We have mapped the road to sustainable development; it will be for all of us to ensure that the journey is successful and its gains irreversible,” declares the UN.
The same 2030 agenda calls for sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices that increase output, help maintain ecosystems, strengthen the capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters, and progressively improve land and soil quality.
For starters, San Miguel Corp. is leading the clean-up of major river systems in and around Metro Manila. The conglomerate reported that its job on the 15-kilometer San Juan River, a main tributary of the Pasig River, was well underway, with over 90,000 metric tons of silt and solid waste already extracted.
The project, according to San Miguel president and chief executive officer Ramon S. Ang, is part of the firm’s much larger Pasig River cleanup initiative that has successfully removed waste choking different sections of the river. The waterway spans the cities of Manila, Mandaluyong, San Juan and Quezon City.
San Miguel’s initiative has resulted to better flood mitigation in flood-prone areas in Navotas, Malabon, Valenzuela and Caloocan.
San Miguel’s quest for a greener Philippines is embodied in its ambitious airport project in Bulacan province. It released last year a conceptual master plan for the massive, green-designed and future-ready aerocity development.
Ang said the designs reflect the vision of a modern Philippine city that provides built-in solutions to various socio-economic, environmental, and climate issues, and correct the mistakes seen in many urban developments of Metro Manila.
The SMC chief executive said the Aerocity development would address many of the problems experienced in Metro Manila today.
It is designed, and will be built, with sustainability in mind. It will be properly zoned, with areas dedicated to agriculture and food production, logistics, health and wellness,