BACOLOD City — The Bacolod City Government has formalized its commitment to environmental sustainability through Executive Order (EO) No. 20, Series of 2026, institutionalizing the annual observance of Earth Hour and mandating participation across government offices and local communities.
Signed by Mayor Greg Gasataya on March 26, the EO sets the yearly observance of Earth Hour every last Saturday of March, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., as part of the city’s broader climate action agenda.
During this period, all city government offices and instrumentalities are required to switch off non-essential lights and electrical equipment, while ensuring that public safety and essential services remain uninterrupted.
Earth Hour, a global environmental movement initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature, calls for collective action to address climate change and biodiversity loss—issues that continue to pose serious environmental, economic, and social risks. These include extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and threats to public health, food security, and infrastructure resilience.
The executive order underscores the city’s responsibility under the Local Government Code of 1991 to promote general welfare and environmental protection, as well as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which mandates sustainable waste management practices.
Under the directive, all barangays are encouraged to organize community-based Earth Hour activities, while businesses, schools, and households are urged to participate voluntarily in support of energy conservation efforts.
The Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) is tasked with integrating the observance into existing programs on solid waste management, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity protection.
Meanwhile, the Bacolod Government Communications Office (BGCO), in coordination with BENRO, will lead sustained information campaigns promoting responsible energy use, proper waste segregation, and reduced carbon footprints beyond the one-hour event.
Exemptions are granted to hospitals, emergency response units, traffic management systems, and other critical facilities to ensure continuous operations and public safety.
The Department of Energy has also called on Filipinos to take part in Earth Hour on March 28, 2026, urging the public to go beyond the symbolic switch-off and adopt energy conservation as a daily practice.
With the new order in place, Bacolod aims to demonstrate decisive leadership in climate action by aligning both public and private sectors toward sustainable energy use and long-term environmental stewardship./PN
