Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos has highlighted the importance of the support by local government units (LGUs) in Saturday’s Earth Hour observance which he fully supported.;
“Let us unite with the rest of the world in caring for our one and only home, Mother Earth. The simple act of turning off your lights is a big help in reducing the effects of climate change),” Abalos, Jr. said in an earlier statement.
He said this year’s global movement provides a platform to urgently promote the advocacy of addressing the planet’s biggest environmental challenges. “We need to take urgent and decisive actions NOW to save the planet for our sake and the sake of future generations,” he stressed.
As vice-chair for Disaster Preparedness of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Abalos encouraged all provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, and punong barangays to embark on Earth Hour activities that are aligned with the new global action plan for nature for the coming decade.
In Memorandum Circular 2023-031, Abalos prodded LGUs to mobilize their constituents to participate in Earth Hour activities in their respective areas. He also encouraged them to mobilize the private sector within their jurisdictions to be one with the government in observing Earth Hour by switching off their signage lights or some of their lights in their facilities, as the business operations will allow.
To cause the widest dissemination, Abalos advised the LGUs to post and/or share Earth Hour communication materials on their respective social media pages and offline platforms using the hashtag #EarthHour.
Earth Hour, which started in Australia in 2007, has become the world’s biggest grassroots environmental movement spanning over 7,000 cities and 180 countries and territories.
This year’s Earth Hour activities in the country were held Saturday at the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.