The Quezon City government has designated Energy Conservation Officers (ECO) to boost energy and fuel efficiency and conservation in line with its goal of having a green, sustainable, and livable city.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte issued Executive Order (EO) No. 15 Series of 2023, assigning the Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department (CCESD), the City Planning and Development Department (CPDD), and the City General Services Department (CGSD) as the ECOs.
Belmonte said that the ECOs will have various duties and responsibilities such as ensuring the city’ compliance with Republic Act 11285 (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act); lead the preparation, implementation, updating, and monitoring of the City’s Local Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan (LEECP); issue memoranda and guidelines on energy and fuel efficiency and conservation; and organize meetings, workshops, and seminars regarding the implementation and promotion of energy and fuel conservation.
The move is also to support Quezon City’s Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan from 2021 to 2050 that affirms the city’s commitment to a sustainable urban future and set a raod map to build climare resilience, advance green economic development and provide a livable and quality community for the QCitizens.
“Aside from RA 11285’s goal of enabling local government units to reduce monthly electricity and fuel consumption by at least 10%, the formation of the ECOs can help us realize our target of lessening greenhouse gas emissions as laid out in Quezon City’s Climate Change Action Plan," Belmonte said.
She added that the ECOs are tasked to develop a system for consolidation of required data and implementation to ensure timely preparation and submission of accomplished monthly electricity and fuel consumption reports and other reportorial documents.
The EO also mandates the creation of an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Technical Working Group (EE&C TWG) to assist the ECOs in the performance of their duties and responsibilities, the city government said.
"The TWG will also provide the necessary data and information in compliance with the EE&C Act, the EE&C IRR, and all energy efficiency and conservation issuances," the mayor said.
The group will be composed of CCESD, CPDD, and CGSD as lead and the Office of the City Administrator (OCA), Department of the Building Official (DBO), City Architect Department (CAD), City Engineering Department (CED), and Task Force Streetlights as members.
According to the mayor, each department will designate one permanent and one alternate officer to attend to all matters related to the TWG.
All city departments and offices have been ordered to submit the names of their respective EE&C Focal Persons to the CCESD within 15 days following the effectivity of the EO.