Earth Hour marked; gov’t exec hopes to save more than 34MW this year

THE regional director of the Department of Energy (DOE) hopes to exceed the 34 megawatts (MW) of energy saved in last year’s Earth Hour celebration in Central Visayas.

“Last year, we saved as much as 34 MW during the event. This is enough to power a town or a small city for one day,” said DOE Regional Director Antonio Labios at the sidelines of Earth Hour 2016 celebration at Ayala Center Cebu.

According to the DOE, from the total energy saved last year, the province of Cebu was able to save 6.6 MW; Negros, 8.6 MW; Panay, 6.3 MW; Leyte and Samar, 11.6 MW; and Bohol, 1.3 MW.

“It (Earth Hour) is always relevant. This Earth Hour is just a showcase (to save energy). But everyday we should save,” he said.

Labios gave the reminder to save despite the Visayas region’s relatively stable supply of power.

“We have enough energy. Currently, the whole region consumes around 1,500 MW to 1,600 MW. We have enough energy, although there are times that we are on yellow alert, or our reserves are below 100 MW,” he said.

To kickoff the ceremonial switching off of lights for Earth Hour, mall-goers at Ayala Center Cebu were entertained by performances from a number of local artists.

The official Earth Hour was from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30  p.m. last night. Performances continued even after when the lights were turned back on.

This year, five local government units (LGUs) — Cebu, Consolacion, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay — confirmed their participation in Earth Hour, said Vince Cinches, Oceans campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines.

“We would like to highlight the role of social media in spreading awareness of the event. This year, I think more LGUs and organizations know about Earth Hour and are participating. We are still monitoring as of now which organizations are participating,” he said in a phone interview.

Melanie Ng, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president who was also present in the Ayala event, said the organization’s 700 members have earlier pledged to participate in this year’s Earth Hour by turning off unnecessary lights and other energy-consuming devices for an hour.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III also encouraged everybody to show love and care for Mother Earth.

“As concerned citizens of this Earth, let us show more care and love for the home we live in by helping spread Earth hour’s message,” Davide said in a statement.

“Climate change is not just a buzzword. It is a reality we are now facing and should show more concern about. The severe disasters that hit us in the recent past are proof on the need to do more to prevent worse scenarios from happening,” he said.