Muntinlupa City has been chosen, along with two other Philippine cities, to participate in the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) We Love Cities campaign, a friendly competition among global cities to raise awareness on sustainability. 
After qualifying as a finalist in the recent One Planet City Challenge (OPCC), WWF selected Muntinlupa City as one the country’s representatives in the We Love Cities campaign which aims to bridge better communication between city officials and citizens they represent on climate and sustainability issues.
We Love Cities is a public engagement campaign that allows people across the world to express support for sustainable urban development by voting for their favorite finalist from WWF’s One Planet City Challenge and posting improvement suggestions for these cities.
The campaign aims to raise awareness for the sustainability progress being made in cities, give the general public an opportunity to submit suggestions to decision makers, and strengthen public – decision makers’ cooperation.
58 cities from 27 countries that have demonstrated a strong will to transition toward a sustainable future were selected in the online campaign. Joining Muntinlupa City as Philippine contestants are Batangas City, Batangas and Santa Rosa, Laguna.
WWF lauded Muntinlupa’s action plan to combat the urban heat island effect. The organization highlights the city’s holistic approach towards sustainability including gardening initiatives, first aid trainings to equip city employees in assisting the public during particularly hot periods, climate responsive agriculture training for urban farmers, aquaponics (growing plants in water with a soil-less media), vertical farming, mulching and mushroom culture.
The public may vote using the official hashtag #WeLoveMuntinlupaCityPH in Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Meanwhile, the number of likes, comments, and shares from the City Government of Muntinlupa – OFFICIAL and We Love Cities Facebook Page for Muntinlupa’s bid will also be counted as official votes.
Further, the public may also visit the city’s page at www.welovecities.org/muntinlupa and click the vote button or submit a suggestion on how to make the city even better.
The campaign will run for four weeks from Sept. 14 to Oct. 11, 2020. Participating cities will be promoted via WWF websites, the campaign page, finalists’ websites and social media. The winner will receive the We Love Cities Award.
The participants for this year’s We Love Cities campaign include: Argentina: Buenos Aires, Chacabuco and San Martin de los Andes; Brazil: Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro; Canada: Vancouver; Chile: Peñalolén, Santiago and Valdivia; Colombia: Mantizales, Monteriá and Villavicencio; Côte d’Ivoire: Commune de Cocody; Ecuador: Municipio de Loja; Finland: Turku; France: Paris; Guatemala: Escuintla, Iztapa and San José; Iceland: Reykjavik; India: Kochi, Nagpur and Rajkot; Indonesia: Balikpapan, Banda Aceh and Jakarta; Malaysia: Melaka, Petaling Jaya and Sebarang Perai; Mexico: Hermosillo, Mérida and Mexico City; New Zealand: Wellington City Council; Norway: Arendal and Baerum; Peru: Borja, Lima and Magdalena; Philippines: Muntinlupa, Batangas and Santa Rosa; Republic of Korea: Suwon City; South Africa: Cape Town, Durban and KwaDukuza; State of Palestine: Abasan Al-Kabira; Sweden: Helsingborg, Uppsala and Växjö; Thailand: Hat Siao, Khonkaen and Patong; Turkey: Bursa, Denizli and Izmir; UK: Greater London, Greater Manchester and Bournemouth-Christchurch-Poole; US: Cleveland, Los Angeles and Park City; and Vietnam: Dong Hoi City.
Not too long ago, a big win for Muntinlupa National High School
In another sustainability-oriented global competition in 2017, Muntinlupa National High School, my alma mater, bested 2000 other high schools to win 1st Place in the prestigious Zayed Sustainability Prize Global High Schools Category – East Asia and the Pacific.
The annual award recognizes achievements that reflect impact, innovation, long-term vision and leadership in renewable energy and sustainability. The school’s project “RevAMP: Revitalized Algae Micro-farm Projects” aims to build a scalable solar-powered micro-farm with photo-bioreactors to produce high-value products from green algae (Chlorella Vulgaris) that are sustainable and profitable.
Multi-awarded Muntinlupa National High School Head Teacher Ma. Regaele A. Olarte received the prize presented by no less than the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
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