Asian Development Bank TA-6422 (REG):

Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction

Preparation of the
Philippines Environment and Natural
Resources Country Assessment:
A Call to Action

Proceedings of Second Consultative Workshop

23 March 2010
Discovery Suites, Ortigas, Pasig, Manila

A Joint Initiative of:

Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 1

1. Introduction
1. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank (WB) use Country Environmental
Analysis (CEA) to assess environmental quality and prevailing environmental conditions, and to
focus on how these factors affect human welfare, economic development, and sustainability. The
costs of environmental degradation, and the benefits of avoiding such adverse impacts (return
for environmental investment), are also evaluated; government capacities for addressing
environmental challenges are identified; opportunities for fostering environmental improvement
are highlighted; and recommendations are presented for the most urgently-needed
environmental interventions.

2. ADB and WB have recently (2009) completed CEAs for the Philippines. A general conclusion
which the two CEAs share is that the Philippines environment, including its natural resources
base, is fragile and under serious threat. The threats are varied, and include, among others:

 Compromised integrity of watersheds;

 inappropriate and unsustainable land use and agricultural practices in upland areas;
 degradation of forestland;
 impacts that result from extensive road building carried out without proper safeguard
controls;
 effects of rapid population increase and rapid urbanization, especially increased congestion
and pollution in urban areas;
 environmental degradation of nearshore coastal areas due to sedimentation from upstream
sources;
 overexploitation of fisheries and permanent loss of coastal ecosystems from changes in land
use due to urbanization, industrialization, and other land conversion, including aquaculture;
 loss of natural habitats that support biodiversity; and
 impacts of extreme weather events and climate change.

3. Given this urgent state of affairs in the environment and natural resources (ENR) sector in
the Philippines, and looking ahead to expected changes that will occur in mid-2010 with the
newly-elected central government administration, a decision was made that ADB and WB should
collaborate in the publication of a Philippines Environment and Natural Resources Country
Assessment: A Call to Action. Drawing on the technical investigations recently completed in the
CEAs, the Call to Action will provide an up-to-date analysis of the major environmental
considerations affecting development in the Philippines. The report will present recommended
policy, institutional and investment responses, and an action plan for consideration by
government. It is intended that this document will serve not only government decision-makers,
but also a broader audience including other development partners, financial institutions,
members of civil society, research and academic institutions, and the private sector. It is hoped
that this Call to Action will thus be a catalyst for significant changes in the way that the
Philippines government, and Philippines society at-large, views and meets the environmental
challenges that lie ahead in the second decade of the 21st century.

4. As part of the formulation process for development of the Call to Action, consultations with
key stakeholders have been conducted. The second of two consultative workshops, representing
the culmination of the main consultative activities, was convened on 23 March 2010. 1 Its

1 The venue for the consultation was the Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center, Pasig, Manila.
Page 2 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

purpose was to bring together stakeholders from government, NGOs, academe, the private
sector, and the development community to:

 provide information to stakeholders about the CEA process, and how CEA could be used to
shape donor investment programs in the Philippines;
 solicit comments from key experts about the critical ENR challenges facing the Philippines in
the near, medium, and long term; and
 invite participants to provide inputs concerning the types of planning and policy, institutional
strengthening, and budget and financial responses that would be required to effectively meet
these challenges.

5. . These proceedings summarize the outputs of the second consultative workshop. The
agenda for the workshop is found in Appendix 1; the list of participants is found in Appendix 2;
and photographs of workshop activities are found in Appendix 3. The multi-media presentations
of various speakers during the morning sessions have been provided separately. 2

6. It is expected that outputs from this workshop will help to ensure that all critical issues are
being addressed, and that the synthesis document that is produced will serve as an effective
catalyst to spur government action in mainstreaming ENR considerations in future governmental
policy-making, planning, and management practices.

2. Morning Sessions
7. Activities in the morning included a series of presentations, and open forum discussions
during which participants were invited to ask questions and raise concerns. These activities are
briefly summarized here.

2.1 Opening Remarks

8. Atty. Analiza R. Teh, Assistant Secretary for Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects
(FASPO), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), commented in her
opening remarks that the report (CEA) is one concrete display of compliance with the Paris
Declaration on aid effectiveness. She went on to state that with the national elections
approaching in May 2010, the report will be very helpful to guide the newly-elected officials of the
incoming administration on how environment should be viewed, to formulate an appropriate and
responsive environmental agenda, and to point the way forward for the decision-making required
to pursue such an agenda. The report will likewise be helpful in the formulation of the Medium-
Term Philippines Development Plan 2012-2020, where a dedicated chapter for the environment
sector is suggested.

9. Mr. Javed Mir, Director, SEAE/ADB, in his opening speech on behalf of the Asian
Development Bank, cited the importance of moving the environmental management process
from assessment to implementation. Mr. Mir stated that "The report (CEA) is expected to be a
roadmap that would include (information) on how to address challenges, specific time frame, and
who needs to do what in terms of their mandate and capabilities. We need to specify the right
steps, right players and right combination of resources. These kind of details are where lots of
good plans falter."

2 These can be accessed through the ADB website at: http://adbweb/documents/events/2010/philippines-

environment-natural-resources/default.asp
Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 3

10. Mr. Pavit Ramachandran, Environment Specialist in ADB’s Southeast Asia Department
(SEAE/SERD), provided an introduction to the World Bank-ADB Philippines Country
Assessment synthesis document. In his presentation, Mr. Ramachandran emphasized the
importance of recognizing that several key cross-cutting issues affect performance in effective
ENR management. These include the need to improve the environmental impact statement (EIS)
system; shifting from a sector-based to an integrated ecosystem-based planning and
management approach; strengthening forest management and biodiversity conservation;
ensuring the sustainability of financing for environmental projects, and increasing the amount of
financing; addressing ENR concerns in tandem with poverty alleviation; and taking steps to
make sure that local governments and communities are adequately equipped to assume greater
responsibility for ENR functions.

2.2 ADB and World Bank Country Programs for the Philippines

11. To establish the context for the partnership strategies between the Philippines, and the ADB
and the World Bank, Ms. Claudia Buentjen of the ADB Philippines Country Office, and Ms. Maya
Villaluz of the World Bank Philippines Office, presented information on the respective country
programs of the two institutions. Both emphasized the high priority that the environment and
natural resources sector is accorded in their development funding. Ms. Buentjen stated that, in
order to advance the ENR agenda through development partners’ country assistance
programming, it was important to first ensure that strong ENR objectives were clearly articulated
in the government’s official policy statements (e.g., the MTPDP). Once this is accomplished it is
a straightforward matter to design assistance projects and programs that can support these
objectives.

2.3 Presentation of the Call to Action

12. To ensure that all the stakeholders present had a basic understanding of the purpose,
content, and methodology of the synthesis document under preparation, Mr. James Berdach,
ADB consultant, provided an overview of the document and its key features. It was explained
that the Call to Action would focus on addressing issues in three key areas—environmental
health, natural resources, and climate change. Acknowledging that the Philippines faces
numerous daunting challenges in these three ENR areas, it was clarified that it was intended that
the document should not simply re-state the problems, but should be forward-looking and
solutions-oriented. Mr. Berdach explained that, in order to accomplish this, the Call to Action
would employ several tools to carry its message across: (i) the use of economic valuation and
analysis to express the underlying importance and value of ENR in practical “dollars and cents”
terms that would be easily understood by decision-makers; (ii) use of high-impact graphics to tell
a story; (iii) quotations by recognized experts to add credibility and impact; and (iv) presentation
of case studies of “best practices” to point the direction towards pragmatic approaches for
solving problems.

2.4 Recommendations from the Panel of Experts

13. A panel of experts was invited to share with the stakeholders their views and opinions on the
most pressing challenges that will need to be tackled with respect to effective environmental and
natural resources management in the Philippines, and what can be done to address these.
Comments of the experts are briefly summarized below.
Page 4 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

14. Atty. Lucille Sering, a Commissioner of the Climate Change Commission of the Philippines
and former Undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, focused
on the policy aspects of the Philippines’ ENR programs and stated that the Philippines has one
of the most comprehensive set of laws and policies for effective ENR management. However,
implementation remains a huge challenge due to resource constraints and corruption. She urged
the stakeholders to find strategic entry points in the institutional arrangements to overcome these
problems, emphasizing the pivotal role of the local governments in driving these programs. She
mentioned that for climate change, the tendency is for governments to develop robust mitigation
programs, because that is where funding is being focused, on a global scale. However, it is
critical that the Philippines develop programs for adaptation that are tailored to local conditions.
To reverse the negative impacts of human activities in other areas (e.g., marine degradation)
similar local-level efforts are needed.

15. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Dr. Graciano Yumul Jr.
expounded on the position that there is a need for governance to catch up with the scientific
community. Policy-makers sometimes find it difficult to comprehend scientific evidence and
therefore policies take time to develop. Lessons learned from ENR programs and projects show
that there are varying levels of awareness of climate change and related issues, differing
degrees of preparedness, and disconnected or redundant efforts. Agencies, institutions,
communities, and individuals are often uncertain about their roles and mandates. Dr. Yumul
encouraged stakeholders to rise to the challenge, and move the process forward by identifying
and implementing readily-achievable quick-win initiatives, targeting “low-lying fruits,” and scaling
up successful pilot projects, to encourage government and the Filipino citizenry to take ENR
management seriously.

16. Dr. Rodel Lasco, scientist at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Los Baños and a
member of the Nobel-awarded Interagency Panel on Climate Change (IACC), argued for the
need for close cross-sectoral collaboration among all institutions, both government and non-
government, in addressing what he calls the “10 x 10 challenge” – focusing combined efforts on
the 10 million hectares of upland areas where 10 million of the “poorest of the poor” live. Dr.
Lasco went on to explain that it was important not to view these areas simply as “forest lands”
that need forestry solutions, but rather, as complex, multiple-use landscapes that need to be
managed and made more productive in a holistic and integrated way.

Comments in the Plenary Session

17. The presentations described above were followed by an open plenary session in the late
morning, during which participants were invited to raise their concerns or ask questions.
Following are some of the highlights of the comments made during the plenary session.
Additional stakeholder comments are provided in Appendix 4. 3

Awareness

 There is a need to collect success stories, disseminate them, and then scale up successful
pilot activities, in order to create better understanding and support for climate change
adaptation and other modalities for improved environmental and natural resources
management.

3 This Appendix includes both comments that came out of the workshop discussions, and other comments
that were received separately regarding the draft synthesis document.
Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 5

 Science plays a major role in shaping policies and strategies. For example, projections about
the 2010 El Niño phenomenon have enabled and guided LGUs and farmers to optimize their
agricultural production. Nonetheless, ENR management, including adaptation, faces cultural
challenges (i.e., resistance to change based on scientific findings; for example, in Negros
Occidental, traditionally the sugarcane capital, there may be considerable resistance to
embracing other, more climate-adaptive options as the basis for the economy).
 Local perceptions about the potential impacts of non-sustainable practices may differ from
the opinions of technical experts. In fact, experts’ findings may sometimes contradict local
peoples’ experience. Greater effort needs to be made to explain scientific basis for decision-
making, in terms that are readily understood by a lay audience.
 Stakeholders were in agreement that the priority given to the implementation of ENR
programs has varied from one administration to the next. Anticipating major changes in
leadership after the national and local elections in May 2010, the stakeholders recommended
that an aggressive public information campaign be launched very soon to influence the
thinking of the incoming leaders. In addition, technical staff who are likely to remain as the
advisers of the incoming government administration should be heavily involved in the CEA
discussions so that climate change and other ENR programs will find their way into the
preparation of the MTPDP and related budget planning.

Collaboration

 Addressing ENR issues in an integrated and holistic way requires broad multi-sectoral
collaboration and cooperation. Deliberate efforts must be made to assign responsibilities for
action to teams of multi-sectoral stakeholders rather than singular government agencies.
 The collaboration network for ENR management needs to be expanded, especially among
government agencies to include DoH, etc.
 Greater private sector and NGO participation should be encouraged.
 There is a varying level of awareness and understanding among different government
agencies. Thus, uncertainty about their respective roles makes coordination difficult.

Creating a Sense of Urgency for Action

 Recommendations of the Call to Action should be integrated into ADB and World Bank
country strategies for the Philippines. However, the extent to which this can be done really
will depend on signals from the government. The CEAs are intended to highlight concerns,
and serve as catalysts, but the action plan should come from the government, through a
consultative process.
 The CEA is a very useful tool, and government should take advantage of this. This should be
used in establishing the platform both for leadership and “followership”.
 The document should not only be a “call to action,” but also, a blueprint for “a way to act.”
There are already existing good policies but little action.
 Consolidation of different studies is being done by various government agencies, such as the
Climate Change Commission, to come up with a more practical framework. NEDA also has
to step up to take responsibility for guiding this effort.
 Discussion papers are being prepared by WB to highlight issues and suggested priorities for
the next administration. Distribution of the CEAs to Philippine partners is being done to get
higher exposure, both in the government and the private sectors. The key is making its
messages crisp, fresh and easily readable. A series of forums for private sector and LGUs
are also scheduled.
Page 6 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

Devolution

 Local government should take the lead in ENR management since most of the associated
impacts are felt at the local level. The local government should be supported by regional and
national government through policies and other enabling measures.
 In order to promote an integrated ecosystem management approach, a gap in the legal and
policy system needs to be filled, since there is no provision in the Local Government Code
for a structure that will allow several municipalities to combine their efforts so programs can
be landscape-based rather than managed according to political boundaries.
 Despite the long timeframe since the passage of the Local Government Code into law, there
are still huge gaps in terms of capabilities (manpower, technology, business processes)
between the national and local governments. These should be identified and resolved
immediately consistent with the intent of the LGC.

Financial Sustainability

 DENR is one of the largest public agencies, but with a relatively small budget.
 Resource constraints represent a major roadblock to putting in place more effective ENR
management. The stakeholders agreed that the CEA report could guide the development of
the MTPDP and its implementing guidelines and corresponding budget prioritization.

Governance

 The CEA is comprehensive, and the analysis captures the major issues. However,
governance issues are not adequately addressed. Governance issues should be taken on in
their entirety, as they affect a broad spectrum of sectors and interests in a cross-cutting
manner.
 The CEAs call for improvements in database development, information sharing, system
enhancement, and monitoring and evaluation. These are indirect ways to promote more
transparency, and thus to deal with governance issues.
 About 40% of the national budget is consumed for debt service. Thirty percent is shared by
various public services. The balance, approximately another 30%, is lost to corruption.
 While acknowledging that governance is an issue that has very serious impacts on all
sectors, including the ENR sector, it is an aspect that is somewhat peripheral to the main
subject areas covered in the CEA, and so it is not featured as a centerpiece in the CEA
presentation. Ultimately, it will be up to various stakeholders, and the government, to decide
to what extent governance issues can and will be addressed. Social pressures sometimes
can push for better polices and stronger enforcement. For example, the outcry regarding the
high level of death and destruction in the aftermath of Ondoy may force leaders to take
greater notice and put in place more effective measures for disaster response and
preparedness.

Involvement of the Private Sector

 Government is often perceived as the major driver for taking on environmental issues. The
private sector should be treated with (given) equal responsibility.
Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 7

3. Outputs of Afternoon Discussion Groups

18. For the afternoon session, the participants organized themselves into three working groups
to select top priority items for urgent action and to outline the implementation features and the
steps to be carried out by responsible agencies. The discussion groups addressed each of the
following topics: (i) Planning and Policy Responses; (ii) Institutional Strengthening Responses;
and (iii) Budgeting, Finance and Investment Responses. The question of how to monitor the
sustainability of the responses and assess the effectiveness of the implementation steps was
incorporated in the discussions of each of the groups.

19. The discussions were highly participatory and energetic. Information was openly shared and
all participants felt free to take positions and express opinions on the issues, despite the
sensitive nature of some of the topics. Within each of the groups, agreement was reached on the
top priorities and implementation features, signifying that the stakeholders were clear on the
issues and in consensus with regard to the actions to be taken.

20. One observed shortcoming was the absence of representation at the workshop from certain
key agencies, specifically, the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Agrarian
Reform (DAR). It was felt that the discussion would have benefited from the views of these
agencies had they been present.

21. Short summaries of the key outputs of the working groups are presented in the following
paragraphs. Matrixes that were developed by each of the working groups, and which contain
further details regarding issues, solutions, and implementation arrangements, are presented in
Tables 1, 2, and 3.

3.1 Group 1: Institutional Strengthening Responses

22. The stakeholders tackling the topic of institutional responses to key ENR issues quite easily
arrived at a consensus that what was needed was a framework for an integrated ecosystem-
based management (IEM) approach which would have an inter-municipal focus. It was
recognized that it would be necessary to develop ecosystem-based institutional mechanisms to
support the communities who take responsibility for addressing ENR issues directly affecting
their lives.

23. To begin such an initiative, it is necessary to conduct a review of the devolution process as
mandated under the Local Government Code, in order to define (or re-define) the roles of
national, regional and local government agencies in the implementation of ecosystem-wide ENR
programs at the local level. One “gray area,” that will need clarification, is how municipalities who
have a stake in a common ecosystem will coordinate and cooperate. New templates are
required from national government, that will emphasize an integrated rather than a sectoral
approach for provision of support by line agencies, and building up of the capacity of local
government and civil society groups to own, drive, and manage their ENR on a sustainable
basis.

24. Monitoring progress on this institutional strengthening response will involve checking the
effectiveness and completeness of implementing rules and regulations (IRRs) at the local level,
and the level of resources allocated and actually disbursed to local governments for ENR
programs.
Page 8 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

25. Finally, it will be important to promote and encourage the involvement not only of local
government agencies, but also the local communities themselves, as represented by peoples’
organizations (Pos), NGOs, and the private sector.

3.2 Group 2: Budgeting and Finance or Investment Responses

26. Participants who discussed the issue of investment, budgeting and sustainable financing
identified the various potential sources of funding to support ENR initiatives, and highlighted
several of the most promising. These included trust funds, market-based instruments (MBIs),
and public-private partnerships (PPPs), including mechanisms to promote corporate social
responsibility (CSR).

27. Trust funds as a financial mechanism were assessed as having great potential and a high
likelihood of sustainability. Trust funds could be used to support community-based interventions.
However, they typically take a long time to establish. Dissemination of success stories (e,g, user
fees at the Tubbataha marine protected area, enviornimental user fees impoemented through
the Laguna Lake Development Authority), scaling up of pilots, and capacity building are key
elements that are required to develop trust funds as a sustainable financing source.

28. The same kind of information dissemination and scaling up of successful models is required
for setting up CSR and PPP investments. The discussion group anticipated that returns from
these strategies could be faster than for trust funds.

29. The group also discussed the prospect of increasing the level of regular budget allocations
by the national government and LGUs for improved ENR management. While it was
acknowledged that such funding constitutes an important source for supporting strnger ENR
management, at the same time, it was recognized that making significant changes in
government appropriations could be a lengthy process. Thus, in the short and medium term, it
was considered important to focus effort on the alternative funding sources mentioned, at least
until permanent increases in regular budget appropriations could be implemented.

3.3 Group 3: Planning and Policy Responses

30. The stakeholders who discussed the topic of planning and policy responses to more effective
ENR set their sights on two key modalities – the preparation of Comprehensive Land Use Plans
(CLUPs) and consultative processes of Regional Development Councils (RDCs). They
concluded that improving linkages between national and local plans would allow more
decentralized ENR management. Data generation and management would be more accurate
and comprehensive and would provide a more solid basis for sound decisions at all levels,
especially with more participation from the communities. They also set as high priority the
improvement of the Environmental Impact Assessments as they wish to see them more holistic
and comprehensive. Key recommendations of the planning and policy working group were as
follows:

 there is a need to integrate environmental and natural resources (ENR) management in the
local government unit (LGU) planning process, specifically in the CLUP.
 The establishment of Environmental and Natural Resources Offices (ENROs) in each LGU
should be made mandatory. The Local Government Code of 1991 devolves environmental
management functions to LGUs but does not mandate the creation of ENROs and therefore,
no budgetary allocation is provided for such offices. Local capacities should be put in place
Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 9

to ensure the effectiveness of ENROs. DENR is expected to capacitate LGUs, to assume

specified ENR functions.
 The boundaries for forest lands should be properly defined in the CLUP to ensure
preservation and prevent land conversion.
 Success stories include the application of user’s fee for solid waste management in Marikina
City where residents and business establishments pay for the use of garbage bags
according to their sizes. These bags are sold by the city government and are the only ones
allowed to be collected by their dump trucks. Another success story is the institutionalization
of ENRO in Puerto Princesa City which has been given ample authorities to plan and
implement environmental policies, as well as ensure that ENR protection is incorporated in
the CLUP. The said ENRO was also able to facilitate multi-sector collaboration for the local
implementation of Clean Air Act regulations through the creation of a Clean Air Management
Board (CAMB).
 Environment and natural resources data should be updated to provide relevant basis for the
development and implementation of sound policies / plans. Spatial data (such as
topographic, planimetric, climatic, geo-hazard maps), not just statistical data, should also be
prepared. A data repository agency like National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) should
be established, as envisioned in the Philippine NSDI Framework Plan.
 In preparing Environment Impact Assessments (EIAs), the affected river basin, watershed
and ecosystem should be considered as compared with the current practice of identifying
environmental impacts that occur within a prescribed distance from the proposed project. As
such, the proposed project should indicate its entire impact on the ecosystem under its
environmental impact statement. Likewise, biodiversity should also be included in the EIA
process. The current Philippine project approval process does not include the issue of
biodiversity in EIA, while projects funded under ODA include this in their environmental
safeguards.
 School curricula, from grade school through higher levels, should also include environmental
issues and concerns to increase awareness among students.

4. Conclusion
31. Thanks to the committed efforts of the participants during the second stakeholder workshop,
significant additional insights regarding ENR management approaches and priorities came to
light. This information will help to round out the strategies presented in the Call to Action
document that is currently in preparation. It is hoped that the new national government
administration that will soon be installed will put this information to good use in developing plans,
policies and programs that can help to advance the goal of sustainable economic growth, while
at the same time ensuring that the Philippines’ unique environmental and natural heritage is
preserved for future generations to come.
 Page 10 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

Table 1 Matrix of Institutional Strengthening Responses

Action Steps to operationalize; Responsible agencies or Major expected outcomes/ Monitoring, Verification,
explain answer institutions benefits; explain answer Measurement, Evaluation of
Performance; explain answer
Three issues are
interconnected and the Identify entry-points, National NEDA- lead convenor Convergence at the national level
action should be level issuances(planning (results, outcomes) IRRs at the local level
synchronized. templates) Other agencies:
DILG Framework for integrated Budget Allocation, ENR actions
Define gray areas in roles of DENR ecosystem-based management
1. For LGU to take national, regional and local DPWH approach
ownership of ENR government agency to DA
Management/ implement ENR at local level Sustainable Development at the
Devolution and (phasing strategy) and other agencies local level
capacity building of concerned
LGUs for improved Clarify ENR management “Capable” LGU to do ENR
ENR Management/ Include leagues (LCP, LMP, Management
Support is sectoral not Integrated approach ULAP)
integrated. Work for amendment of LGC
Review past Devolution
2. Intermunicipal experience Academe Paper (Reports and Assessment
Focus (Ecosystem- on Devolution and Opportunities)
based Institutional Revive mechanism of CSO
Mechanisms participation
NGOs, CSOs and POs
3. Communities take
responsibility for
ENR(emphasizing
greater role for Private
Sector, CSO, POs for
ENR Management
 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 11

Table 2 Matrix of Budgeting and Financing Responses

Action Priority Ranking/ Temporal Cost-Effectiveness Steps to operationalize; Responsible major expected monitoring,
Urgency Prioritization (e.g., low-cost, explain answer agencies or outcomes/ verification,
(highest to (short, medium, impacts greatest institutions benefits; explain measurement,
lowest) long term; number of people); answer evaluation of
reflects time explain answer performance;
required for explain answer
implementation)
Trust Funds 5 Medium-term 3 – it takes a long - Knowledge management - DENR - Additional funds - % increase in
-MBIs process to build establisment for ENR ENR funds
access mechanism - Document and - Executing - Number of trust
disseminate success Agencies, ENR - Sustainable fund established
stories (e.g. Tubbataha CSOs, academic financing
user fee, EUFs of LLDA) institutions mechanisms
- Capacity building
- Executing
- Strengthen sustainability Agencies, ENR
(for the existing MBIs) CSOs, academic
- Scale-up/ Replicate institutions
success stories
- DBM

- Executing
Agencies, LGUs
CSR/PPP 3 Short-term 5 – least cost but great - Networking (scanning, - Private companies, - Sustainable ENR - Number of
impact identification of partners) Executing agencies, partnership PPPs
- Conduct of investment CSOs, academic maintained
forum institutions
- Formalizing partnership
- Document and
disseminate PPP
models/ success stories
Increase 2 (traditional) Long-term 4 – already included in
Regular TOR of the
Budget senate/congress to
Allocation by prepare regular budget
the NG and
LGU
Dedicated
Funds for 4 Medium-term 3
ENR
 Page 12 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

Table 3 Matrix of Planning and Policy Responses

Action Priority Temporal Cost- Steps to operationalize; Responsible major expected monitoring,
Ranking/ Prioritization Effectiveness explain answer agencies or outcomes/ verification,
Urgency (short, medium, (e.g., low-cost, institutions benefits; explain measurement
long term; impacts answer evaluation of
reflects time greatest performance;
required for number of explain
implementation) people) answer
1.(CLUP/RDCs) o Participatory/ Lead is - Improved LGPMS
 Integration of ENR mgt & LGU 1 Short-term Low cost; high stakeholders Congress and Linkages CBMS
planning process impact consultation at all Senate between FIS
 Integration of Philippine Business levels; National and local
process (National to Local) o Revisit and amend RA TWG-DILG, plans
 Strengthening national-local linkages 9160 (LGU Code) NEDA, DENR, - Decentralized/
on ENR Mgt via RDCs HLURB, DOH simplified ENR
 ENRO should be mandatory at LGUs etc. Management
with budget support. - More efficient
 Preparation/implementation of local Capacity operation and
plans eg (PAMP, CLUP) Building of lower procedural
 Forestland Boundary Delineation and LGUs led by costs
Assessment DENR
2. Data Management 1. Build capacity for data DENR, NSCB, - Complete,
 Updated/validated ENR, land and 2 Short-term High cost; high generation and NSO, ENR comprehensive,
related information as for policy and impact management (Public- Stat; DOST high quality
decision making private partnership) information
 Establishment of Spatial Data (NSDI) 2. Sharing of information generated
 Improvement of ENR data generation between generating - Sound and
and Info mgt agencies and data informed
users decisions
3. EIA Review/Strengthen Climate More holistic and - Multi-partite
 River Basin/ Watershed/ Ecosystem – 3 Medium-term Medium cost; existing EIA systems Change comprehensive Monitoring
based as planning unit high impact (including ecosystem- Office/EMB- impact Team
 Building on the EIS System based perspective) DENR/ assessment
(Ecosystem-based vs project-based) Academe - PAMB/ LLDA
 Integrating biodiversity concerns into (R&D)
EIA System
4. IEC/ Advocacy 4 Short-term Low cost; high MOA plus incentives: PIA; DENR; - Greater public Process
impact Awareness raising and NGOs, POs, participation documents
advocacy Private Sector; - Communities
Integration of ENR into Academe, making informed
School curricula CHED, DepEd decisions
 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 13

Appendix 1 Workshop Agenda

PREPARATION OF THE PHILIPPINES ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

COUNTRY ASSESSMENT
SECOND CONSULTATIVE MEETING AND WORKSHOP

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Tuesday, 23 March 2010

Discovery Suites

AGENDA
TIME ACTIVITY RESPONSIBLE PARTY
8:00-8:45 a.m. Registration
Opening of the Meeting and
8:45-9:00 a.m.  Ms. Pet Misa, facilitator
Self-Introduction of Participants
 Atty. Analiza R. Teh, Assistant Secretary
for Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects,
9:00-9:15 a.m. Welcome Remarks
DENR
 Mr. Javed Mir, Director, SEAE/ADB
Introduction to the Proposed World Bank-ADB
 Mr. Pavit Ramachandran, Environment
9:15-9:30 a.m. Philippines Country Assessment Synthesis
Specialist, SEAE/ADB
Document
Linkages between Strategic Priorities in the ENR
 Ms. Claudia Buentjen, ADB Philippines
9:30-9:45 a.m. Sector, and ADB’s Philippines Country
Country Office
Partnership Strategy (CPS)
Linkages between Strategic Priorities in the ENR
 Ms. Maya Villaluz, World Bank Philippines
9:45-10:00 a.m. Sector, and World Bank’s Country Assistance
Resident Mission
Strategy (CAS)
10:00-10:15 a.m. Questions and Discussion Plenary
10:15-10:30 a.m. COFFEE BREAK
Presentation of the Philippines Environment and
10:30-11:00 a.m. Natural Resources Country Assessment: A Call  Mr. James Berdach, Consultant, ADB
to Action
 Dr. Rodel Lasco, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor,
UP Los Banos and Senior Scientist,
ICRAF
Presentations by the Panel of Experts: Critical
11:00-11:45 a.m.  Atty. Lucille Sering, Commissioner,
Challenges in the ENR Sector in the Philippines
Philippines Climate Change Commission
 Usec. Graciano Yumul, Department of
Science and Technology
11:45-12:30 a.m. Follow-on Discussion of Panelists’ Presentations Plenary
12:30-1:15 p.m. LUNCH
Responding to Key ENR Issues:
 Group 1: Planning, Policy Responses
1:15-2:45 p.m. Working Group Break-Out Sessions
 Group 2: Institutional Strengthening
 Group 3: Budgeting and Financing
2:45-3:00 p.m. COFFEE BREAK
Presentation of Working Group Findings and
3:00-3:45 p.m.  Ms. Pet Misa, facilitator
Discussion
3:45 – 4:00 p.m. Closing Remarks Ms. Ondette Ferrer, DENR-FASPO
4:00 p.m. Adjournment
 Page 14 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

Appendix 2 List of Participants

NAME POSITION AGENCY

Ed Abugan PDO III FASPO
Romeo Acosta Former Director, FMB/DENR
Oliver Agoncillo Natural Resources Policy Advisor USAID Philippines
Ross Ian Avino Stat't Coordinator Officer EMB
Resources Environment and
Economics Center for
Tonie Balangue Executive Director and Consultant Studies
Victor Balde Engr IV LMB-DENR

Luz Teresa Baskiñas Vice President for Project Development WWF Philippines
James Berdach Consultant ADB
Alice Bongco DC III LLDA
Conrad Bravante OIC Chief PMD-FASPO
Ruby Buen DMO 10 DENR-PPO

Claudia Buentjen Principal Country Specialist, PhCO ADB

M. Giap Bui Rural Development Economist, SEAE ADB

Orly Cablayan Staff Consultant ADB
Soild Waste Management
Association of the
Lilia Casanova Philippines
Dolet Catindig Supervising Forest Mgt. Specialist FMB-DENR
Conservation International,
Oliver Coroza Philippines
Nancy Corpuz PAWB-DENR
Carlo Custodio Chief PAWB-CMMO-DENR
Garcia Daisy Consultant ADB
Rosalina De Guzman PAGASA-DOST

Maria Diosa de Mesa Agriculture Staff NEDA

Women Involved in Nation
Corazon (Baby) del Mundo Chairperson Building (WIN)
Carla Dimalanta Assoc. Prof. UP-NIGS
Decibel Faustino-Eslava SRS UP-NIGS
Ma. Lourdes Ferrer Director DENR-FASPO
Ranulfo Garcia OIC-AD DILG-OPDS
 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 15

NAME POSITION AGENCY

Phils. Climate Change
Loraine Gatlabayan Chief Sci. Res. Spec. Commission
Reside Geraldine Analyst, SEAE ADB

Rebecca Guieb Coastal Resources Management Specialist USAID Philippines

NIA-National Irrigation
Juanito Gumpal Administration
Eli Ildefonso HEA NSWMC
Senior Scientist, Philippines Coordinator; World Agroforestry Centre
Rodel Lasco Adjunct Professor, U.P. Los Baños (ICRAF)

Luisa Lim-Jolongbayan OIC, Assistant Director, Agriculture Staff NEDA

Women Involved in Nation
Delila (Nina) Lojo Director Building (WIN)
Javed Mir Director, SEAE ADB
Consuelo Misa Facilitator

Ateneo De Manila
Doris Montecastro University, Dept Envir.Sci.
Linda Papa Dep Adm NAMRIA

Officer-in-Charge, Policy and Program National Water Resources

Isidra Peñaranda Division Board

Pavit Ramachandran Environment Specialist, SEAE ADB

OIC-Chief, Multilateral Investment Program

Cristina Regunay Division DENR-FASPO
Lysander Remoroza DILG-OPDS
Gregorio Reyes Chief Sci. Res. Spec. ERDB-DENR
Veneracion Reynoso ITO-II NAMRIA
NIA-National Irrigation
Eden Victoria Selva Environmental Management Chief Administration
Mary Ann Sering Commissioner Phils. Climate Change
Lucille Commission
David Sevillo Jr. Chief. PDP DENR-MGB
Alejandro Sibucao Economist II FMB

Annaliza Teh Assistant Secretary, FASPO DENR-FASPO

Ed Tongson Senior Consultant WWF Philippines
Rizza Trumata Agriculture Staff NEDA
 Page 16 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

NAME POSITION AGENCY

Corporate Network for

Katrine Kae Vicedo Program Officer Disaster Response

Maya Villaluz Senior Operations Officer World Bank Philippines

Lemuel Villamar Facilitator ADB
Graciano Yumul, Jr. Undersecretary DOST
Nenita Zabala Economist II DENR
 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines Page 17

Appendix 3 Photographs from the Workshop

The Experts’ Panel included (L. to R.): Dr. Rodel ADB and World Bank staff listen attentively to Participants engage in dialogue during the plenary
Lasco, Atty. Lucille Sering, and Dr. Graciano comments by the panelists session
Yumul

Discussion Group on Institutional Responses Discussion Group on Financial and Budget Discussion Group on Policy and Planning
Responses Responses
Page 18 Mainstreaming Environment for Poverty Reduction: Philippines

Appendix 4 Additional Comments from Participants

The comments below were gathered in the course of presentations, plenary sessions, and side
discussions during the Second Stakeholder Workshop, and from written comments submitted
separately by participants.

 In order to mainstream ENR concerns, it will be very helpful to gain the ear of those responsible for
crafting the State of the Nation Address for the new administration.

 The process of inputting ENR recommendations from the CEA to country programming is not direct. If
the CEA can provide inputs first to the MTPDP, then these can be picked up in programming, which
needs to reflect national priorities as expressed in the MTPDP.

 The political candidates for the 2010 election have all expressed the importance of strengthening the
agricultural sector.

 “Governance is not only about leadership; it is about followship.” – Usec. Yumul

 ENR mainstreaming can benefit by ‘riding on the coattails’ of recent concerns about climate change.

 96% of businesses in the Philippines are SMBs; they need to be tapped as a resource to support
environmental improvement.

 There is no lack of well-conceived and well-crafted policies—however these are largely ‘paper
policies’—they lack the funding needed to back them up.

 The DENR has not been effective despite the high personnel complement. It has 26,000 personnel,
one of the largest departments, but one of the lowest budgets. There have also been numerous
secretaries who have rotated in quick succession in recent years. Because the department has been
politicized, this makes for instability.

 There is a need to make improvements durable, to institutionalize them, regardless of political

situations or preference.

 “We are always starting.” – Usec. Yumul

 Comments from PAWB: include data on flora, not only on fauna, in the synthesis document. A good
reference for this: Fourth national report to CBD. Includes assessment, status and threats and
recommendations (accessible at pawb.gov.ph or obtain hard copies at PAWB). Also, data on
protected areas needs to be updated.

 Comments from WWF: Report has limited discussion on coastal and marine biodiversity. Add info
about CTI, which has 5 goals: seascape; strengthened MPAs/networks; ecosystem-based fisheries
mgmt; CCA; species conservation. A number of projects support development of sustainability
platforms—governance, institutional, financial, policy….it may be noteworthy to evaluate whether
these platforms are effectively carried out after the project term ends (i.e., if they themselves are
sustainable). If not, perhaps assistance can be given to ensure that sustainability is adequately
addressed. There are a number of successful pilots, mostly community-based, of successful ENR
innovations, technologies, and strategies. Scaling up could be by enlarging geographic area off
coverage, increasing number of communities, or programmatic integration. Perhaps the “call to Action”
can also put in some “ambitious but achievable” targets/indicators/baselines.