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II. MECHANISMS FOR INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS INTO OVERALL
ECONOMIC POLICIES
[ II-A | II-B
| II-C | II-D ]
C. Initiatives in economy-environment integration
[ C-1 | C-2
| C-3 ]
1. Medium-Term
Philippine Development Plan
The first indication of any attention being given to environmental problems
in the Philippines came in the Development Plan for 1978-1982, which highlighted
concerns regarding pollution, the environmental effects of mining activities
and diminishing fishery yields. In general, the 1978-1982 Plan followed
an approach which promoted resource exploitation and utilization, and at
the same time emphasized the importance of measures for the protection
and replenishment of such resources.
The 1983-1987 Plan built upon the same concerns of the previous Plan,
pursuing the principle that the development of natural resources must recognize
the responsibility of maintaining a comfortable level of renewable resources
and of minimizing the adverse effects that might arise from their exploitation.
The 1987-1992 Development Plan adopted a community-based approach to
resource management. That approach focused on the importance of community
participation in the planning and implementation of natural resources projects.
Under that approach, local communities were empowered to manage the resources,
with the government furnishing the necessary enabling conditions, such
as through programmes which provided users with the incentives and expertise
to properly manage their resources. The efficacy of the community-based
approach to resource management may be seen from the success of a number
of initiatives anchored to such an approach. In Palawan, for example, forest
destruction and coastal resource degradation have been minimized as a direct
result of the Bantay Dagat (dubbed
"Baywatch") and Bantay
Gubat ("Forest Watch") programmes of the
city government of Puerto Princesa. In those programmes, the communities
were mobilized to curb illegal logging and fishing. Reforestation through
voluntary community action in the annual Pista ng Kagubatan (Feast
of the Forest) programme has increased the forest cover in the region in
recent years. Similar initiatives are being undertaken in other regions
and applied to other environmentally-oriented projects such as solid waste
management. Those successes are being echoed nationwide through the Galing
Pook award which recognizes innovative local government projects and
initiatives. The effectiveness of the community-based approach has yet
to be evaluated on a national scale. However, at the local level experience
shows that projects with significant community involvement and commitment
have a high likelihood of success.
The Development Plan for 1993-1998, and its updated version (1996-1998),
have benefited from the imperatives of the commitments by the Philippines
at the 1992 Earth Summit and the influence of the growing environmental
movement. The Plan seeks to attain sustained growth of output and employment,
the alleviation of poverty and the improved distribution of income, with
sustainable development underpinning all objectives. It highlights the
key policy reforms and strategies required to promote the proper management
of resources, including: the proper pricing of resources, property rights
reform, land conversion, air and water pollution control and community-based
resource management systems. The Plan also emphasizes the adoption of measures
aimed at increased efficiency in the consumption of renewable resources
and the internalization of environmental costs. It also includes the institutionalization
of a resource revenue system involving the imposition of fines, taxes and
user fees to compel resource users to internalize the costs of external
effects of production such as pollution and biodiversity loss. That approach
is, in effect, intended to put an automatic economic restraint on the way
the environment and natural resources are used.
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