Wazzup Pilipinas!?
The cities of Baguio, Dipolog, Makati, and Tagum are joining the global We Love Cities (WLC) Campaign organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The campaign aims to raise awareness and inspire citizens to support their cities’ sustainable urban development initiatives.
Coming from the One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) 2023-2024, a biennial global competition that helps cities meet their climate mitigation and adaptation goals, Baguio, Makati, and Tagum were named National Finalists for OPCC 2023-2024, granting them the opportunity to participate in the WLC Campaign. Dipolog City, the former OPCC 2021-2022 National Winner, is categorized among the "All-Star" cities, allowing them to rejoin the public engagement campaign.
“Filipinos across the country are very eager to support initiatives towards sustainability, and these four cities participating in this global engagement are role models for other local governments to follow,” Imee Bellen, project manager of the OPCC, said.
The We Love Cities campaign will run for the whole month of October 2024 and will encourage the citizens of each city to post on social media channels about the sustainable initiatives of their city that they love and support.
Baguio City has been focusing its efforts on roads and vehicles to cut emissions and create a cleaner environment. They also implemented vehicle-free Sundays on the Session Road, allowing residents and tourists to stroll and enjoy the shops, restaurants, and cafés.
As a signatory to the Cities Race to Resilience initiative, Dipolog City is part of a global movement that is driving ambitious climate adaptation actions and ensuring that the voices of cities like Dipolog are heard at the highest international level of climate change negotiations.
Makati City strengthened its commitment to addressing climate change with the declaration of a climate emergency in 2022. Since then, the city has aligned itself with the 1.5°C target for both 2030 and 2050 and has been implementing comprehensive and diverse climate actions.
Meanwhile, Tagum City envisions a sustainable and resilient future. Thus, to align its citizens with its sustainability goals, the city organizes community forums to raise awareness about climate change, emphasizing the significant impact each individual can make in mitigation and adaptation efforts.
“Cities are on the frontlines of climate mitigation and adaptation with their innovative solutions and strong public engagement. Their success in implementing policies and programs hinges on the support of the people they serve. That’s why the WLC Campaign promotes and recognizes the efforts of the city to make a positive impact on the environment while also providing an opportunity for their local citizens to be heard and give suggestions,” Bellen said.
The WLC Campaign will run from October 1 to 31, 2024. The city that receives the most number of website votes, social media posts, and suggestion submissions by the end of the campaign period will be declared the We Love Cities 2024 global campaign winner.
Campaign for your favorite Philippine city on your social media platforms by using the hashtags #WeLoveBaguio, #WeLoveDipolog, #WeLoveMakati, or #WeLoveTagum. For more information and updates about the We Love Cities 2024 campaign, visit welovecities.org
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
Post a Comment