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An hour of darkness will envelope some streets and buildings in
Makati City on Saturday night as the country’s financial capital
district joins 24 other cities worldwide in observing Earth Hour.
Several other localities in Metro Manila are expected to take part
in the activity.
Lights will be turned off for one hour at
around 8 p.m., involving 741 street lights on Kalayaan Avenue, South
Avenue, Makati Avenue , J.P. Rizal, Buendia, and F. Zobel Street. as
well as in Makati ’s 33 barangay halls and the Makati City hall.
Mayor Jejomar Binay said Makati has always taken
a proactive role in protecting and maintaining a clean environment
and it has likewise been an active supporter of initiatives to
address the issue of climate change.
“The act of switching off the lights for
an hour is a simple gesture but it will have a substantial effect on
out climate and the future not only of Makati but the entire
planet,” he added.
All the city’s barangay chairmen have
committed to encourage residents to switch off all or some of their
household lights for an hour.
When asked on the possibility that some
no-good persons will take advantage of the one-hour lights-off,
Binay assured that the Makati Police Department, the local
Department of Public Safety, and the barangay Bantay Bayan will
secure the whole Makati area.
The Makati Commercial Estate Association, the
association of property owners in the commercial district, said it
will shut off power in 400 streetlights or 50 per cent of
streetlights in the business district.
They likewise advised pedestrians to use
road crossings as the underpasses in the commercial area will close
at 8 p.m. instead of 10 p.m., the regular closing time.
To signal the start of the one-hour
activity, Makati fire trucks will turn on their sirens a minute
before 8 p.m. and public jeepneys will also blow their horns.
Earth hour is a project of World Wide Fund,
which began in Sydney Australia. The campaign calls on individuals
and businesses around the world to switch off their lights for one
hour on Saturday.
-- Jayson Cruz Luna
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