DAtE Design Challenge starts with a bang at the Presidential Palace
Sunday, 6 June 2010
National government expresses commitment and support
It’s official. The Philippine government has now joined hands with Design Against the Elements (DAtE) in its global campaign for climate change-resilient communities.
The DAtE global architectural competition kicked off at the Presidential Palace on March 5, 2010. Heherson Alvarez, vice chair of the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission (CCC), said that the government is making a “public commitment” to working with proponents of the DAtE project. “[Together], this indeed will be the beginning of our efforts to manage the destructive impact of climate change,” he said emphatically.
Alvarez also said that the Philippines’ challenge with the problem of climate change was to “respond in a full-scale basis together with the rest of the world.” Through the DAtE global competition, Alvarez believes that the country is rising up to the challenge.
The CCC was formed through the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009 signed into law by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The CCC, then headed by Macapagal-Arroyo, was tasked to mitigate climate change impact in the country.
More than 300 guests, among them international organizations, diplomats, national government officials, local government units, nongovernmental organizations, local celebrities, academe members, and the press, were present at the competition launch.
The DAtE launch program began with a solemn but spirited chorale performance of DAtE’s theme song Stand Up by the Gawad Kalinga Tatalon Performing Arts Group. Stand Up, a song that calls for climate change adaptation, was produced through the collaboration of more than 40 Filipino musical artists.
Illac Diaz, DAtE project lead and initiator, as well as MyShelter Foundation executive director, then talked about DAtE in the context of the loss of human life, possessions, and billions of pesos in Ondoy (Ketsana), and how similar future disasters can be readily addressed through climate change-resilient housing and communities.
Diaz underscored the urgent need for climate change adaptation over mitigation in the Philippines. “[Our country is] one of the greatest supporters of climate mitigation. We talk about lowering our carbon when in fact we are not a carbon emitter,” he said passionately. “But we are now hit by climate change. We are one of the top ten most vulnerable countries to climate change (Note: This is according to the Global Climate Risk Index and the UN human impact report on climate change), yet we are the least able to adapt.”
Also expressing their commitment to DAtE during the launch were representatives from the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), the Taguig City government, and the Philippine White Helmets.
UAP, the country’s prime professional organization of architects looking for “definitive green building solutions,” is working with Diaz in the organization and promotion of the DAtE competition to architects worldwide.
Taguig, nationally recognized for its socialized housing programs, will be providing the land and funding for the construction of the winning designs in the DAtE competition.
PWH, meanwhile, primarily provides humanitarian assistance during calamities like Ketsana.
At the end of the program, representatives from DAtE proponents MyShelter Foundation, UAP, Taguig and PWH signed a memorandum of agreement to signify their commitment and participation in the DAtE project.
The signing was followed by a lively photo shoot of DAtE proponents and guests holding cardboard messages about standing up and fighting climate change, part of DAtE’s information campaign.
Diaz expressed excitement with the successful launch at Malacañang, adding that it signifies national support and recognition for DAtE.
