Climate change concerns have been growing amid drastic changes in global temperatures and floods, disrupting economic activities and destroying countries’ resources, including the Philippines.

Despite these, renowned architect Jun Palafox Jr. of Palafox & Associates and Palafox Architecture Design Group, is hopeful that the Philippines could develop into the 16th largest economy in the world by 2050 through good urban planning and governance.

The global ranking is based on analyses by leading global investment bank, Goldman Sachs.

“We have more blessings than challenges. There are no problems if reclamation is done right in a metropolitan context,” he said, speaking as guest speaker during a meeting by the Rotary Club of Makati last 23 July 2024 at The Peninsula Manila, in Makati City.

“We can justify six international airports and six international seaports for the Manila Bay metropolis,” Palafox continued.

The architect, who was senior architect and planner for the government of Dubai from1977 to 1981, said the country has abundant resources the people can use sustainably to run smart cities and attract foreign investments.

Philippines’ vast resources

Based on global data, he shared that the Philippines is third in geothermal energy, fifth in longest coastlines and nickel reserves and other mineral resources, fourth in ship building, third in gold reserves, fourth in copper, and 12th in human resources.

To ensure smart and green cities, Palafox proposes urban plans that feature parks and enable people to reach essential areas in 15 minutes by walking and five minutes for neighborhoods like Rockwell in Makati City.

“Those who have less in wheels should have more in roads,” he said.

“It takes 10 trees to take out carbon emissions per car. If we have 5,000 vehicles in EDSA, we should have 5 million trees along EDSA,” Palafox continued.

Climate change hero

The architect, who is the first Southeast Asian that helped plan Dubai and was awarded as a climate change hero by the Climate Change Commission, has drawn over 3,000 sketches with linear parks for Pasig River.

“Waterfront real estate is prime real estate elsewhere in the world. Here, it is our backyard where trash is dumped,” he said.

He is also working with the Asian Development Bank to design compact cities in the Philippines that will feature less than 10 modes of transport, including walking, and sustainable infrastructure that maximizes renewable energy.

By 2050, Palafox said the country’s population could grow to 150 million which would require 100 new healthy cities where 70 percent of the people would live.

Without proper urban planning and its implementation, he said Metro Manila could be submerged by four-meter floods. Palafox added that healthy cities help extend people’s lives by three years.

Aerotropolis in Bulacan

Over in Bulacan, Palafox is helping create The Aerotropolis with new cities as the Luzon province has increasingly become urbanized and is being prepared for the Bulacan International Airport to be developed by San Miguel Corp.

The plan for the new Bulacan cities will have spaces for vehicles, pedestrians, and landscaping with one-third of the area each.

“When we take projects, we consider social equity, job creation, and the planet. Next is economic growth and profits without forgetting culture and heritage,” Palafox said.

Palafox, who was educated at Christ the King Seminary, stressed that corruption should be eradicated to implement good urban designs and prevent widespread flooding.

“We take pictures of the uglification of our cities and make architectural perspectives. We send them to the mayors and we call them coast guards of the future, hoping somebody will implement them,” he said.

Palafox shared that the government stopped a massive dredging by a foreign firm in Laguna Lake as it would cause destructive floods in Metro Manila.

Guided by his own conscience, Palafox, who was educated at Christ the King Seminary, refused to earn a huge amount of money at the expense of the communities in Subic where his client wanted to build a hotel.

Corruption

“Corruption can be addressed. I already put a Bureau of Internal Revenue examiner in prison for extortion,” he said.

“I returned $1 million for the architect’s fee for a proposed hotel in Subic when I was instructed by clients to destroy 366 trees. I returned the contract and was sued for P50 billion,” Palafox continued.

He added other cases worth over P100 million have been filed against him for “exposing the truth.”

“Be deeper in your faith so you won’t be afraid. The government should also address red tape and corruption. If we have the best infrastructure in the world but don’t have good institutions, then no good will still happen to us,” Palafox said.

“The government should have policies on reclamation, dredging, and flooding,” he added.

With his efforts to help prevent corruption and protect the environment, Palafox was also named among the 48 Heroes of Philanthropy in Asia by Forbes Asia Magazine in 2013 and the Outstanding Professional of the Year in the field of Environmental Planning by the Professional Regulatory Commission in 2019.

Bigger visions

Palafox, who has over 50 years of professional experience and over 1,000 projects in 40 countries, drew up in 1989 a plan on a tunnel, bridge, and railway system that will connect provinces across the country.

“The fastest trainmaker in the world came to my office in 2006 and proposed to me a railway between Laoag and Davao for a travel of less than three hours. This is shorter than waiting for delayed flights,” he said.

In 1989, Palafox also proposed 10 circumferential roads across the country. He said he is glad that the government is now building the Bataan-Cavite Bridge and Tunnel to partly achieve his goal for easier travel among the locals and tourists.

Much bigger than these, Palafox presented his global connectivity plan to a peace conference by the United Nations in 2006. It connects six continents through an 89-kilometer tunnel system.

“It’s doable. China has the longest bridge with 164 kilometers. Building it is less expensive than war and conflict as it breeds better international relations, with a connection to the world’s gateway cities,” he said.