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INTRODUCTION
In recent years, the economy of the Philippines has achieved considerable
economic and social progress. The adoption of market-based policies and
the increased participation of the private sector in the development process
as espoused in the Medium-Term Philippines Development Plan has significantly
contributed to that progress. However, while significant economic and social
gains have been achieved, activities aimed at producing those gains have
also resulted in the degradation and depletion of the environment and natural
resources in many parts of the country, attributable mainly to: (a) the
increasing population vis-à-vis the carrying capacity of the national
resource base; and (b) policy biases which encourage resource exploitation
instead of conservation, resulting in the abuse and misuse of resources.
Consequently, according to the National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), a number of environmental problems
have plagued the country in recent years including forest resources depletion,
coastal and marine resources degradation, loss of biodiversity and habitat
destruction, soil erosion, land-use conversion, water and air pollution,
waste disposal, urban congestion and water scarcity.
The Philippine Agenda 21 amplifies those
issues in the statement: "....While there is an acceleration in economic
growth, there is evidence that environmental quality is fast deteriorating,
as dramatized by the increased incidence of environmental disasters such
as problems associated with mine tailings, deforestation, pollution, salt-water
intrusion and a host of other destructive activities. The regenerative
capacities of already fragmented areas in various bio-geographic zones
are similarly threatened." (Philippine
Council for Sustainable Development, 1997b)
The increase in environmental problems led to the recognition that economic
growth should be pursued hand in hand with environmental conservation and
protection. That view is clearly spelled out in the Philippine
Agenda 21 for sustainable development as embodied in the Philippine
Strategy for Sustainable Development (PSSD) which was initiated by the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources in 1987 and approved for adoption
in 1989. PSSD is the first official document to recognize the various dimensions
of sustainable development. It also recognizes the need to integrate environmental
considerations into economic decision-making. In doing so, "...PSSD attempts
to reconcile the diverse and sometimes conflicting environmental, demographic,
economic and natural resource use issues arising from the country's development
efforts." PSSD contains the following elements: (a) the integration of
environmental considerations in decision-making; (b) proper pricing of
natural resources; (c) property rights reform; (d) the establishment of
an integrated protected areas system; (e) the rehabilitation of degraded
ecosystems; (f) the strengthening of residuals management in industry;
(g) the integration of population concerns and social welfare in development;
(h) inducing growth in rural areas; (i) the promotion of environmental
education; and (j) the strengthening of participation of the population
and constituency building. The document provided the basis for the position
of the Philippines at the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) in June 1992, the Earth
Summit, which resulted in the formulation of the global Agenda 21.
The integration of environmental considerations in decision-making has
been identified as one of the general PSSD strategies. Various efforts
have been pursued towards its achievement, including the creation in September
1992 of the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) which
is responsible for, among other things, periodically monitoring and assessing
the progress of the commitments made by the Philippines at UNCED as well
as ensuring that the espoused sustainable agenda is mainstreamed in the
national development effort. PCSD, which comprises representatives from
both the private sector and the government, provides a venue for discussion
and the formulation of appropriate recommendations on policy matters relevant
to the promotion and implementation of the sustainable development agenda.
Apart from PCSD, a number of mechanisms have been established and existing
ones strengthened to ensure that environmental considerations are properly
integrated into policy decision-making, such as: (a) the strengthening
of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system; (b) the establishment
of a regulatory framework for the prospecting of biological and genetic
resources; and (c) the adoption of the community-based forest management
approach as the national strategy to ensure the sustainable development
of forest land resources. Those mechanisms are discussed in detail in the
following sections.
This paper discusses the current mechanisms, analytical tools and methodologies,
and institutional structures that facilitate and allow effective integration
of environment. The problems and bottlenecks within the existing structures
are then discussed and analysed. Likewise, the commitments by the Philippines
to environmentally related international agreements into domestic policy
formulation are given in the final chapter.
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