BSP Head Office Cited For ‘Green’ Improvements

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Head Office (BSP-HO) in Manila was awarded a 4-star sustainability certification by the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC),^[1] making it the first existing government building to be certified for improvements in operations.

The certification, under PhilGBC’s “Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence” (BERDE) system, was awarded at BSP-HO on 06 November 2024.

BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. said, “This recognition is a testament to our belief in the importance of sustainability. It is proof that we walk the talk. All these are but a small part of our overall drive to practice what we preach.”

PhilGBC Chairman Raymond D. Rufino explained that, “Certification is important because with the number of stakeholders, customers, clients, partners that we deal with, we need to have a credible way to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability.”

PhilGBC is a non-stock, non-profit organization of building industry leaders that promotes environmentally responsible buildings, districts, and cities. Aside for certifications for improvements (“Stage 3 – Operations”), it also confers certifications for new constructions and fit outs, and for renovations.^[2]

The 4-stars rating stands for “Country Leader” under BERDE, which also provides 1 star for “Good Practice,” 2 stars for “Ideal Performance,” 3 stars for “Exemplar Performance,” and 5 stars for “World Class” practices.

For his part, PhilGBC Chief Executive Officer Christopher C. de la Cruz cited the BSP’s efforts in making an existing building more eco-friendly and expressed hope that “this is the beginning of a new set of existing buildings that are transformed to be green.”

BERDE is a tool that PhilGBC uses to measure, assess, verify, and monitor the environmental performance of projects against building and environmental laws, regulations, and mandatory standards.

In 2022, BSP-HO also received a 5-star rating from the Department of Energy (DOE) after DOE conducted a spot energy audit in compliance with the “Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.” Moreover, the BSP was among 10 recipients of DOE’s “Energy Efficiency and Conservation in Government Buildings” award in 2016.

The BSP remains committed to fostering environmentally responsible and sustainable policies and work practices under its Sustainable Central Banking Framework.^[3] This includes adopting green building principles for its own facilities to improve resilience to natural hazards.

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^[1] PhilGBC is a non-stock, non-profit organization of building industry leaders from all sectors aimed to promote buildings, districts, and cities that are environmentally responsible, profitable, safe, and healthy places to live, work, and play. PhilGBC is part of the World Green Building Council, a global network of National Green Building Councils from around the world.

^[2] The BSP-HO has completed the BERDE Stage 3 – Operations Certification on 10 September 2024.  BSP-HO has undergone assessment and certification and demonstrated compliance with the requirements of BERDE in the operations of its facilities through the planning and implementation of policies and procedures for operations.

^[3] For more information on Sustainable Central Banking, visit: https://www.bsp.gov.ph/SitePages/StrategicPrograms/Sustainable-Central-Banking.aspx#section2