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I. NATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
INTO THE POLICY DECISION PROCESS
[ I-A | I-B
| I-C ]
B. National structure for the integration of environmental concerns into
economic policy decisions
[ B | B-1
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B-2 | B-3 ]
1. National-level initiatives
(a)Philippine
Council for Sustainable Development
Chaired by NEDA, PCSD is considered as a formal channel for integrating
environmental considerations into economic policy-making and for advancing
environmental protection in overall economic development planning. It also
serves as a forum for addressing and discussing environmentally sustainable
development issues.
The primary mandate of PCSD is to establish guidelines and mechanisms
for formulating and implementing the sustainable development principles
embodied in the Earth Summit Declaration, and incorporating them into the
Development Plans of the Philippines. The powers and functions of PCSD
are stipulated in Executive Order 15 which mandated the creation of the
Council. It has, at present, four committees corresponding to the four
major sections of Agenda 21: the Committee
on Social and Economic Dimensions (CSED); the Committee
on the Conservation and Management of Resources for Development; the Committee
on Strengthening the Role of Major Groups; and the Committee
on Means of Implementation. The four Committees have the following general
functions:
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To create a critical mass of advocates for sustainable development within
the government and the non-government sector;
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To actively participate in policy research, analysis and advocacy for sustainable
development.
To the extent that government institutions or agencies are members of PCSD,
the integration of environmental and sustainable development concerns in
their respective sectoral development plans and policies is facilitated/ensured.
The organizational structure of PCSD, which allows representation from
the government, civil society, and the business and labour sectors, effectively
provides the operational mechanism for sectoral integration and the systematic
incorporation of environmental considerations in decision-making.
(b) Investment
Coordination Committee
At the investment programming level, the Investment
Coordination Committee (ICC), which is an interagency body under the responsibility
of the NEDA Board, plays a key role in reviewing/screening major capital
projects with respect to technical, financial, economic, social and institutional
development standards, as well as in the context of sectoral plans and
geographical strategies, to ensure the optimal utilization of scarce resources.
ICC comprises three levels: (a) the ICC Cabinet
Committee (ICC-CC); (b) the ICC Technical Board
(ICC-TB); and (c) the ICC Secretariat. ICC-CC comprises seven members:
the Secretaries of Finance, Socio-Economic Planning, Budget and Management,
Trade and Industry, Agriculture, the Executive Secretary and the Governor
of the Central Bank. Its task is to recommend decisions to the NEDA Board
concerning approval on specific projects/programs submitted for ICC clearance.
It also recommends to the NEDA Board an annual implementation programme
for major capital projects through the Medium-Term
Public Investment Programme. ICC-TB, which comprises senior representatives
from national government agencies (including the Office of the President
and the Government Corporate Monitoring and Coordinating Committee) provides
support to ICC-CC. It deliberates on the economic, social, financial, technical
and institutional aspects of projects, including policy issues as evaluated
by the ICC Secretariat, and submits appropriate recommendations to ICC-CC
for decisions. The ICC Secretariat, which is served by NEDA, provides technical
support staff to ICC-TB and ICC-CC. In coordination with the ICC member
agencies concerned, the ICC Secretariat undertakes the evaluation of all
projects submitted to ICC and recommends appropriate action for consideration
by ICC.
Environmental evaluation of proposed projects is undertaken at the technical
evaluation stage of the ICC review process. At present, the ICC environmental
evaluation involves: (a) checking the environmental soundness of proposed
technologies; (b) ensuring the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) or the issuance of an environmental clearance certificate (ECC) for
the proposed undertaking; and (c) identifying environmentally-related benefits
and costs that have to be quantified by the proponents. Currently, the
environmental soundness of major capital and other projects requiring ICC
approval is processed and assessed through the EIS system that is administered
by the Environmental Management
Bureau (EMB) of the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources. The issuance of an ECC is among the
standard requirements of ICC for the full approval of proposed development
projects.
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