Ecology Technical Working Group Committee daily Bulletin

1. Committee Daily Bulletin
Vol. II No. 126 A publication of the Committee Affairs Department July 4, 2012
TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP MEETINGS
MEASURES
COMMITTEE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT MATTER ACTION TAKEN/DISCUSSION
NO.
AUTHOR
Ecology Draft Reps. Alcala Establishing the Philippine Environmental The technical working group (TWG), presided
(Technical Substitute Bill & Bag-ao Assessment System by Committee Secretary Atty. Dilbert Quetulio,
Working to HBs 08 & terminated its deliberation on the draft
Group) 3836 Substitute Bill to HBs 08 and 3836. The draft
substitute bill will be presented to the mother
Committee for its consideration.
National Economic Development Authority
(NEDA) Senior Economic Development
Specialist Jean Centeno expressed reservation
on Sec. 9 of the bill which mandates NEDA to
serve as the secretariat of the proposed Inter-
Agency Steering Committee on Strategic
Environmental Assessment (SEA). She
suggested that the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) should be the
secretariat of this inter-agency body
considering that the department will be the lead
implementing agency.
Sandra Marie Recolizado of the Board of
Investment (BOI) proposed to delete Section 6
(Applicability of the SEA) and Section 7
(Undertaking SEA) adding that the said
provisions would require concerned agencies to
include SEA as an integral part in the
formulation of a policy, plan, program or project
which may have an adverse impact on the
environment.
As defined in the bill, the Strategic
Environmental Assessment (SEA) refers to the
management/planning tool for a systematic
evaluation of the environmental consequences
of a proposed policy, plan or program in order
to ensure that they are fully considered and
appropriately addressed at the earliest stage of
decision-making.
Recolizado added that requiring SEA in every
proposed policy, plan or program would also
mean additional cost to the government in
conducting environmental assessment. She
admitted that the BOI does not have experts in
environmental assessment.
Philex Mining Corporation Vice President for
Legal Affairs Enrique Rodriguez suggested that
Section 2 (Declaration of Policy) of the
proposed law be reviewed.

2. Labor and Draft Reps. Providing for a magna carta of workers in The technical working group (TWG), presided
Employment Consolidated Angara, informal economy, institutionalizing by Committee Secretary Celeste de Castro, will
(Technical Bill to HBs Escudero, mechanisms for implementation thereof continue its deliberation on the draft
Working 768, 3014, Aglipay & consolidated bill in its next meeting.
Group) 4306 & 6182 Mendoza
(R.D.) The TWG focused its discussion on Section 4
(Definition of Terms) of the bill and agreed to
modify this section taking into consideration
various recommendations which include the
following:
 Define the term “formal
arrangements;”
 Redefine “industrial homeworkers” as
those workers involved in a system of
production under which work is
carried out at or near their homes
where materials may or may not be
furnished by the employer or
contractor;
 Define the term “ambulant vendors”
according to the definition prescribed
by the Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD);
 Include in the definition of “workers in
the informal economy” “on-call”
domestic workers, who are generally
not covered by social protection, and
project–based construction workers;
 Set the age of a “worker of minor age”
to below 18 years old;
 Redefine “non-government organi-
zation (NGO)” as a duly registered
non-stock, non-profit organization
focusing on the upliftment of the basic
or disadvantaged sectors of society.
Comments, suggestions and requests for copies may be sent to the Editorial Unit, Committee Administrative Support Service, 3rd
Floor, Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. Bldg., Batasan Complex, Constitution Hills, Quezon City. Tel. Nos. 9326118; 9315001 local 7122.
Also available at http://www.congress.gov.ph
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