Sweden supports Mandaue’s sustainable projects

CEBU, Philippines — Through the Sweden Embassy in Manila, the Swedish government is expressing interest in helping Mandaue City accelerate its ambition of becoming a full-pledged sustainable and green City in the Philippines.

“Mandaue, as a city and municipality has won different awards in sustainability and smart city developments, that work very well for the future, but nothing concrete at this stage,” said Ambassador of Sweden to the Philippines Annika Thunborg during her visit to Cebu, Wednesday, August 23, 2023, as a keynote speaker of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Business Summit 2023 held at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.

Thunborg said she is impressed with Mandaue City’s proactive stance on sustainability and green economy aspiration, boosted by the strong support of the private sector led by the MCCI.

In September last year, Thunborg met with officials of the MCCI, and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, she said that was the beginning of a productive beginning of (hopefully) a longer relationship.

With the Chamber working closely with the Mandaue City government, implementing sustainable programs on the road to growing a green economy in the city is well achievable.

Like other cities that the Swedish government has partnerships like Iloilo City, the sustainable transportation in Metro Manila EDSA Bus Way with the Department of Transportation, Mandaue City could avail of Swedish grants in the form of technical assistance and technology transfer.

“We have a big profile in sustainable transportation. We have built BRT systems in big cities all over the world, as well as in medium-sized cities. We have different tools in our toolbox and also we have companies that can provide the solutions. We have become experts on that on a worldwide scale,” she explained.

In 2021, Sweden was ranked second in the UN Sustainable Development Report and the Global Innovation Index and topped the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index.

The Swedish government has set ambitious goals for sustainability, including going fossil-free by 2045 and 100 percent renewable energy. Its green model integrates business and sustainability.

Together with its Nordic neighbors, Sweden emphasizes that green growth can drive transition through technical innovation rather than pose a risk.

Sweden was the first country in the world to pass an environmental protection act in 1967. It also hosted the first UN conference on the global environment in 1972. Since then, Sweden has not looked back, managing to grow its economy substantially while reducing carbon emissions and limiting pollution. More than half of Sweden’s national energy supply comes from renewables and a thorough legislation aims at further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Aside from sustainable transportation, the lady Ambassador also expressed interest in helping Mandaue City in the area of waste energy, among others.

She also mentioned her recent  meeting with Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and that there is also a probability that her government will also extend its support in the interest of the Cebu Provincial government in moving towards more sustainable waste management system in the entire province of Cebu.

In Iloilo City, the Swedish government is providing technical assistance via a grant to conduct a feasibility study on what is needed to put in place for a BRT system from the City to the airport.

Thunborg was the keynote speaker during the MCCI Business Summit 2023, where she talked about “Sustainability in the Circular Economy.”

More than implementing sustainable system, Thunborg emphasized the importance of changing the mindset of the people, such as encouraging them (public) to use cars less and use the public transport system.

In 2015, Mandaue City enacted its Green Building Ordinance after the establishment of a Green Building Framework.

Under the ordinance, a voluntarily certified green building may apply for the incentive within three years from receiving its BERDE certification provided that the project owner does not have tax delinquencies, and has the appropriate permits, aside from the existing tax credit they could avail of which is not more than 15 percent of the total amount of real property tax due on the building for the same taxable year.