These are officials of the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC) and the Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC) led by Architect Marlo Ocleasa, trustee for the PhilGBC (left), and Cyel Auza, vice president of AIC Cebu Economic Operations (second from left). | CDN Digital photo by Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC) Economic Estates is empowered to do more as they reinforced their commitment to sustainable development and excellence after receiving a 5-star BERDE District Certification across all of their operating assets.
Rafael Fernandez de Mesa, AIC Economic Estates Head and President of Cebu Industrial Park Developers Inc., proudly announced this achievement during the Executives Forum on November 12 at Bai Hotel in Mandaue City, which was hosted by AIC’s West Cebu Estate and MEZ2 Estate.
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Global ESG standards
BERDE or the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence is a certification developed by the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC) that “evaluates projects on their environmental performance, exceeding existing laws and mandatory green standards. Guided by the World Green Building Council’s globally recognized criteria, BERDE is the local benchmark for sustainability.”
AIC’s MEZ2 Estate and West Cebu Estate were awarded the 5-Star BERDE District Certification, completing the green certification of all AIC Economic Estates.
The AIC said in its communique that both projects have “demonstrated world-class performance in green building practices, earning the distinction of being the first 5-Star BERDE District Certified Developments in Visayas and Mindanao.”
De Mesa thanked the various stakeholders and locators for their trust and collaboration with AIC that made them provide meaningful livelihood for many Filipino families generating over 100,000 jobs across the economic estates in the country and 28,000 of those jobs were created by MEZ2 Estate alone in Cebu.
AIC’s reputation
Moreover, De Mesa said that the award strengthened AIC’s reputation and enhances its operational efficiencies to deliver the best value to their stakeholders, and it also enhances the Philippine’s reputation as an ideal destination for future investors.
He also vowed that the AIC would “remain dedicated to delivering comprehensive solutions across the economic estates by leveraging strengths of the Aboitiz Group, scanning power, water, construction, smart technologies, and support services, creating an ecosystem where businesses can thrive and streamline a one-stop environment.”
The Executives Forum was attended by various leaders from the business community and economic sector, locators, affiliates from the Aboitiz Group, and its stakeholders.
Present also in the event was Philippine Economic-Zone Authority Director General Tereso Panga who talked about PEZA’s green incentives under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy Act (CREATE MORE), and Trustee for the Philippine Green Building Council and Head of Planning and Development Office for the Mandaue City, Architect Marlo Ocleasa who shared their sustainable urban development plans in Mandaue.