IFC to assist DPWH in building regulations

MANILA, Philippines - The International Finance Corp. (IFC) is assisting the Department Public Works and Highways (DPWH) craft building regulations designed to reduce power consumption by up to 20 percent and carbon emission up to 25 percent.

IFC resident representative Jesse Ang said the new regulations will improve the cost-efficiency of buildings, including lowering of electricity bills.

 â€œIn the long run, these buildings will be more competitive and contribute to cleaner air and a greener environment,” Ang said, adding that the joint effort for a greener environment is supported by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and the Canadian government.

The sustainable building regulations will focus on hospitals, hotels, residential condominiums, officers, schools and other structures.

IFC signed a cooperation agreement with the DPWH in May to advise it on developing sustainable building regulations for the National Building Code.

This was preceded by a series of sustainable building discussions with the government, private sector, academe and civil society, including organizations of architects, engineers, interior designers, and other professionals groups.

Buildings emitted 33.28 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, accounting for 36 percent of the country’s total power consumption in 2010.

Rapid urban migration is expected to further increase the number of new buildings by 20 percent a year and has therefore become increasingly important to reduce the power usage of buildings. 

Earlier, the IFC and DPWH held a successful bid process for a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to build an elevated toll road that connects Manila’s three airports and improve transport access for 100,000 passengers daily.

The seven-kilometer (PPP) four-lane NAIA Expressway is expected to ease traffic at the country’s busiest airports and serve as a crucial link connecting the northern and southern ends of Metro Manila, which has a population of 20 million and accounts for about a third of the Philippines’ gross domestic product.

The project, with winning bidder Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc., is expected to mobilize about $360 million in private investments over the next five years.

The elevated toll road, which is estimated to cost P15 billion to build, will also connect to Entertainment City, a 100-hectare complex that is being positioned as an international gaming and leisure resort.

“Through our Public-Private Partnership team, we are glad to help enhance the government’s capacity to prepare well-developed projects that will attract private investments and achieve its intended economic development objectives,” the IFC said.

Over the next 18 months, IFC will be advising the Philippine government in the bids of three other projects amounting to P55.5 billion.

The first is the 12-kilometer extension of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 that ferries up to 500,000 passengers daily; the second is a major upgrade of one of southern Philippines’ principal ports in Davao; while the last is the construction of 11 modern corn warehouses in various sites throughout the country.