Allow me at the onset to congratulate the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers on the occasion of your 36th national convention. It is an honor for me to become part of this momentous event and to expound on a topic that is close to my heart, an advocacy that I began when I was the mayor of Makati.

            I am very enthusiastic to speak about sustainable communities and the future they represent. It is an advocacy that complements my vision for the housing and urban development sector, which I administer as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. It is also an opportunity for all of us- those in government and those in the private sector – to not only address the growing concern over the state of the environment, but to also build a legacy for the future generation.

            I am reminded of the words of US President Lyndon Johnson, who once said:

            “If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.”

            I believe that we share a common goal of providing a healthy environment for our rapidly growing population. As policymakers, engineers and builders, we can take the first – and basic step – in making this a reality, not in the years to come, but today.

            My friends, when I assumed the chairmanship of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council or HUDCC, among the first things i shared with the sector is my vision of green shelters nestled in sustainable communities:

            Shelters that are resilient to the natural elements, providing safe havens in times of typhoons and natural calamities. I think of shelters that are considered green in composition and design, and sustainable communities that contribute to preserving and even improving the environment, and promoting equitable growth.

            We can then create balanced cities where growth and development can be achieved without wasting or destroying our natural resources. This formula for balanced cities has been made apparent in Makati City.

            Under my leadership, Makati City has been has been successful in its programs and projects for the environment. A clear proof of this is the growing number of investors and visitors that continue to flock to Makati. A healthy and clean environment is undoubtedly a key factor in their decision to do business, and even reside, in Makati City. The new administration in Makati has committed itself to further enshrining Makati as a green city, by deciding to incentivize the adoption of green technologies and green building practices in private property developments.

            It is not a situation or an objective that is exclusive to Makati, or to highly urbanized cities. The national government, we admit, needs to orchestrate a national development framework that will rationalize and manage the process of urbanization, with the participation of the private sector. Such framework also needs to recognize and harness the full capacity of the local government units in promoting sustainable development, environmental awareness and equitable growth.

            This is where the HUDCC comes in as the provider of policy directions for the housing sector and urban development sector. 

            I take a pro-active stance in proposing the enactment of the national land use code in order to ensure the rational, holistic, and equitable allocation and utilization, management, and development of the country’s limited land resource.

            This law on national land use must translate into comprehensive land use plans and zoning ordinances at the local level that determine the preferred uses for spaces and set the boundaries of areas available for settlements, protection, production and infrastructure. These plans must ensure the maintenance of ecological balance even as the local population increases.

            But more importantly, the national government must see to it that LGUs are able to effectively implement and ensure compliance by all local stakeholders.  This way, environmental problems can be solved at the local level and would not burden those in the higher levels of governance.

            We must also ensure that plans, policies and guidelines are reflective of green advocacies.

            Thus we in the government housing sector shall review:

            First, the integration of appropriate sustainable zoning and green building practices into the building code, local planning guidelines and zoning ordinances;

            And second, consider:

• Encouraging energy efficiency, renewal energy application, water conservation and reuse, biodiversity in the course of providing shelter/resettlement sites/new town sites;
• Integrating disaster risk management guidelines into local planning guidelines; and​
• Developing and promoting indigenous and green building technology to be used by local developers in construction.

            But again let me emphasize the key element of the national government’s objective of achieving economic development: the national government needs partners from the private sector, partners who will not only share the vision of sustainability but also the passion to make things happen.

            Our concern may only be housing and communities, but it provides us an opportunity to innovate together and act together towards realizing sustainable communities.

            It is my belief that organizations like the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers play an important role in advancing our goals for the housing sector, in addressing issues related to the environment, and bringing our beloved country on the road to equitable, sustainable development.

            Thank you at mabuhay po tayong lahat.​