PROPOSAL. Strengthening Compliance Assistance Efforts through Established Environmental Compliance Assistance Centers

Transcription

1 PROPOSAL I. PROJECT TITLE Strengthening Compliance Assistance Efforts through Established Environmental Compliance Assistance Centers II. ORGANIZATION NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION Laguna Lake Development Authority 2 nd and 3 rd Floors AsiaPro Building, No. 70 San Rafael Street, Barrio Capitolyo, Pasig City, Philippines Homepage: III. CONTACT PERSONS Mr. Edgardo C. Manda General Manager Office of the General Manager (OGM) Tel. nos. (632) and llda@llda.gov.ph Ms. Dolora N. Nepomuceno Assistant General Manager Office of the Assistant General Manager (OAGM) Tel.No. (632) dnnepomuceno@llda.gov.ph Atty. Eduardo L. Torres Division Chief III Legal Division Tel. Nos. (632) and legal@llda.gov.ph IV. ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITIES Background Laguna de Bay is a vital natural resource located in southern Luzon Island in the Philippines. With a total surface area of about 90,000 hectares, it is the largest inland body of water in the country and one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Its watershed is home to over 10 million Filipinos representing 13% of the country s population. The declining environmental condition of the Laguna de Bay watershed or Region is a result of increasing environmental stress because of the following factors: excessive discharge of pollutants, solid waste management, public health and sanitation problems, siltation and sedimentation, flooding problems and loss of biodiversity. Page 1

2 Industrial pollution accounts for about 19% of total BOD loading. There are about 10,000 small, medium and large industrial, commercial and other establishments in the watershed, which are believed to have increased fivefold since LLDA s Mandate and Role The management of and control over the Laguna de Bay and its watershed or region is vested with the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA). The original Charter of the LLDA enacted by the Philippine Congress in 1966 by virtue of Republic Act 4850 provided the Authority with developmental mandate. By virtue of its amendatory Presidential Decree (PD 813) in 1975 and Executive Order (EO 927) in 1983, LLDA exercises regulatory and enforcement powers and functions. Because of this unique legal and institutional framework, the LLDA operates as a GOCC and exercises policy, regulatory and developmental functions covering the entire lake and its watershed. The LLDA is a selfsustaining organization and without any budgetary allocation from the national government. Its operation is financed through revenues from regulatory fees and pollution charges, resource user fees such as those from aquaculture operation and raw water abstraction, and from its limited corporate investments. The LLDA coordinates with over 30 environment and natural resources and water-related agencies/offices and the 66 LGUs within the watershed. Environmental Compliance Program The LLDA covers the administrative system and regulations to compel compliance with the environmental quality standards, and simultaneously provides market-based instruments to promote compliance. To induce voluntary restraint on water use and water pollution and to create an environment for participation and partnership, LLDA introduced in 1997 the Environmental User Fee System (EUFS), the pilot market-based instrument to complement its regulatory mechanisms and now called the Wastewater Discharge System under the Philippine Clean Water Act. In general, there has been significant pollution loading reduction from EUFS-covered establishments for the past nine years as many industries have been encouraged to invest in cost-effective pollution abatement measures to comply with the effluent standards. There has also been apparent success in achieving improved compliance with administrative requirements (i.e., increased number of firms securing the necessary clearance/ permits). However, a great deal more needs to be doneto achieve environmental compliance among covered but low-compliance sectors including slaughterhouses and commercial hog raisers, especially those of small and medium enterprises. For example, out of 67 slaughterhouses monitored by LLDA as of 2006, less than 50% complied with the permitting requirements as well as the effluent standards. Of the 67 slaughterhouses, 43 or 64% are Local Government owned/operated, of which majority have pending pollution cases with LLDA. Commercial hog farms with a population of more than 100 heads or sow level of more than 10 are covered by LLDA rules and regulations. From this sector, 201 piggeries are registered with LLDA, only 53 or 26% of which have complied with the permit requirements and effluent standards. The needs of these regulated sectors have not been adequately addressed in terms of information and access to technical and financial resources. It appears that there is a mismatch between their Page 2

3 current scale of operation and the economy of scale suited to specific technological solutions. In several consultative meetings, these sectors have also expressed the need to have consistent information on regulations and policies with which they need to comply. Other specific needs identified include assistance in terms of exposure to workable practices and solutions to aid them in complying with set environmental standards. As a result of initial workshops where the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO- Asia) program and the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) supported the participation of key personnel from the LLDA and representatives from industries, LLDA and the Pollution Control Department (PCD) of Thailand decided to establish compliance assistance center/s for specific areas or sectors. The West Bengal Pollution Control Board of India likewise commenced efforts recently to establish its own centers with the assistance of AECEN and the World Bank. LLDA established Compliance Assistance Centers (CACs) to provide a continuing venue for improving environmental compliance especially among those establishments in the hog farm and slaughterhouse sectors. Formally launched in April, the CACs aim to provide updated information on policies and regulation, viable technology options, possible funding sources and national and regional best practices for the regulated community. Created as virtual platforms, the respective websites for slaughterhouses and hog farms currently contain numerous files serving as a resource for the sectors. However, these initial undertakings need to be complemented by other initiatives to engage more stakeholders to utilize the centers services, ensure the sustainability of the centers, and develop a comprehensive compliance assistance program for the concerned sectors in the region. V. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES The general objective of the grant is to strengthen the compliance promotion efforts for slaughterhouse and hog farm industries in the Laguna de Bay region in the Philippines through the established compliance assistance centers. Specifically, the grant aims to: Support initial maintenance of the virtual centers for transition to long-term hosts; Provide capacity building activities for LLDA, possible CAC managers and providers; Promote the centers and their services for improved stakeholder engagement; Conduct stakeholder trainings on environmental regulations and policies relevant to the target sectors; Develop a monitoring and evaluation system to successfully measure the results/ outcomes of compliance assistance activities and resources; Explore establishment of physical bases for the centers; and Formulate appropriate measures to sustain the CACs. Page 3

4 VI. KEY ACTIVITIES Generally, the key activities under the grant revolve around maintaining the virtual platforms, promoting the centers and conducting relevant complementary activities. The following are the key activities to be undertaken under the grant: Activity 1: Update and improve the websites with additional information and resources. Activity 2: Identify and discuss with possible long-term hosts of the centers. Finalize institutional arrangements with LLDA (through a Memorandum of Agreement or other similar instrument). This includes discussion with stakeholders and possible hosts on the need and possibility of establishing physical bases for the centers. Activity 3: Conduct capacity building activities in maintaining the platforms and on other possible services of the centers. This includes training of the key LLDA personnel and any targeted long-term host of the centers. Activity 4: Conduct orientation-workshops and develop brochures, leaflets/ fliers and posters to inform the local government units, other government agencies, slaughterhouse owners and operators, and hog farmers on the centers and their respective services. Activity 5: Conduct trainings and workshops on relevant environmental laws, policies and best practices for the hog farm and slaughterhouse sectors. Activity 6: Assess initial operation, draw up lessons learned and recommend measures to address implementation issues and improve operations. The results of the assessment, including successes and challenges, can be shared with counterparts in Thailand and India. VII. EXPECTED RESULTS AND OUTPUTS Improved website with updated information and additional resources Identified long-term hosts of the centers and explored possibilities in establishing physical bases for the centers Materials developed promoting the centers and their services Strengthened capacity of LLDA CAC team and possible hosts of the CAC operations Trainings and workshops for stakeholders on both the CAC services and operations, and on policies and technical information relating to environmental compliance Assessment report on the CAC operations Page 4

5 VIII. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE Key Activities Projected Schedule Activity 1: Update and improve the websites with additional information and develop compliance assistance resources for sectors. Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Activity 2: Identify and discuss with possible long-term hosts of the centers. Finalize institutional arrangements with LLDA (through a Memorandum of Agreement or other similar instrument). Activity 3: Conduct capacity building activities in maintaining the platforms and on other possible services of the centers Activity 4: Conduct orientation-workshop s to promote the centers Develop promotional brochures, leaflets/fliers and posters Activity 5: Conduct trainings and workshops on relevant environmental laws, policies and best practices Activity 6: Assess initial operation, draw up lessons learned and recommend measures to address implementation issues and improve operations. Page 5