Palace urges govt execs: Join Earth Hour events

Malacañang on Friday urged all government agencies to take part in Saturday’s observance of Earth Hour 2011, an international event now on its fourth year in the Philippines. In a memorandum dated March 25 issued by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., all heads of government agencies and offices, including government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), government financial institutions (GFIs), and local government units (LGUs) nationwide are directed to participate in the annual Earth Hour event. Earth Hour organizers in the country have earlier called on the public to switch off all lights for one hour on Saturday, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. During that time, the main switch-off event will also be held at the Mall of Asia. The Palace memorandum also urged government officials and employees to organize their own respective Earth Hour event in their homes, communities or localities, and to promote the event by using various communication channels, including official websites, community newsletters, and blogs. Earth Hour, an hour-long event which started in Australia in 2007, was envisioned to allow ordinary people to take action on climate change, if only through the simple gesture of turning off lights for an hour, and thus deliver a global message on the need for climate change solutions. Ochoa noted the important role of government agencies in expanding the reach of the global campaign to address global warming and to ensure a sustainable future. “Everybody is urged to make this campaign a success, as we intend to make this campaign advance beyond the mere switching off of lights," the executive secretary said.—JV, GMA News