ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)

The country’s statutory framework requiring Environmental

Impact Assessment (EIA) for all projects that will affect
environmental quality is embodied in Presidential Decree
(PD) 1151 of 1977.

The Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System

(PEISS) established through Presidential Decree 1586 in
1978 sets a systematic EIA System to ensure that the Filipino
people will enjoy a “balanced and healthy ecology” in the
midst of intensive economic development.
The PEISS takes its roots in the provisions of the Philippine
Constitution which states that “The State shall protect and
advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful
ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature”.

It requires Environmental Impact Statements (EIS – a Report

on the EIA Results) to be submitted to the National
Environmental Protection Council (NEPC), now the
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
for review and evaluation.
It further stipulates that the President or his duly authorized
representative issues the Environmental Compliance
Certificate (ECC) for a positive review of the EIA Report
for Environmentally Critical Projects (ECP) and projects
within Environmentally Critical Areas (ECA).

Administrative Order No. 42 specifies that the DENR

Secretary, as alter ego of the President, has the power to
grant or deny ECCs on behalf of the President and further
designates the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)
Central and Regional Directors as approving authorities for
ECC applications.
What is EIA?
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
represents both a process and a set of
information.
• It is normally undertaken in compliance with
environmental laws to determine the
environmental effects of a proposed action prior
to its implementation.
• It is a management tool to arrive at the right
decisions and not as a means to justify
predetermined notions.
How to come up with the right decisions?
Resource managers need to know…
• Environmental impact of the projects;
• Possible costs on environmental resources
• The risk of causing irreversible changes.

EIA provides the answers by

• describing the proposed action and alternatives;
• predicting the nature and magnitude of likely
environmental changes;
• identifying the relevant human concerns;
• defining to be used in measuring the significance of
environmental changes;
• Including relative weighing given to different
changes;
• Estimating the significance of predicted
environmental changes;
• Recommending acceptance or rejection of the
project;
• Recommending inspection procedures to be
followed after the action is completed.
OVERVIEW: PHILIPPINE EIA SYSTEM
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a
"process that involves predicting and evaluating the
likely impacts of a project (including cumulative
impacts) on the environment during
construction, commissioning, operation and
abandonment.
In the country, the Philippine Environmental Impact
Statement System (PEISS) established through
Presidential Decree (PD) 1586 in 1978 sets a
systematic EIA System and the Environmental
Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is
mandated as the lead agency in the implementation
of the System.
As a basic principle, the Philippine EIA System is used
to enhance planning and guide decision making.
Through the EIA process, adverse environmental
impacts of proposed actions are intended to be
considerably reduced through the subsequent
formulation of appropriate Environmental
Management and Monitoring Plans.
A positive review of the EIA Report results to the
issuance of an Environmental Compliance
Commitment (ECC) document to be conformed to by
the Proponent and represents the
project/program’s Environmental Compliance
Certificate .
The issuance of the ECC which is required
for Environmentally Critical Projects (ECPs) and
projects within Environmentally Critical Areas (ECAs)
allows the project to proceed to the next stage of
project planning which is the acquisition of approvals
from other government agencies and LGUs, after
which the project can start implementation.
THE EIA PROCESS IN RELATION TO ENFORCEMENT
OF OTHER LAWS

The PEISS is supplementary and complementary to other

existing environmental laws.

As early as the project's Feasibility Study (FS) stage, the

EIA process identifies the likely issues or impacts that
may be covered later by regional environmental permits
and other regulatory bodies' permitting requirements.
In addition, where there are yet no standards or where
there is a lack of explicit definitions in existing laws, the
EIA process fills in the gap and provides appropriate
cover for environmental protection and enhancement-
related actions.

For example, the planting of greenbelts is not a

requirement under any environmental law but is
included in the ECC as a contractual obligation and
commitment of the project proponent to the DENR.
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR
is the lead agency tasked to coordinate the
implementation of the EIA system in the country and
recommends the issuance of ECC for environmentally
critical projects.

Two Types of Documents may be required in the EIA

Process:
1. Project Description (PD)
2. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Project Description (PD) – is essentially a brief
description of the proposed undertaking and the
required resources. This is required if the project is
non-critical but is to be located in an environmentally
critical area.

Environmentally Impact Statement (EIS) – is a detailed

and in-depth analysis of the environmental
consequence of a particular project.
Generally, the Philippine EIA process, is composed of the
following steps:
1. Any project proponent should initially determine
whether the project falls within the EIS system.
2. If the project falls within the EIA system, either the
PD or the EIS is submitted to the relevant DENR
Regional Office or the EMB.
3. The EIA Group of either the EMB or the DENR
Regional Office, with the assistance of the EIA Review
Committee, conducts evaluation of the submitted
documents and recommends one of the following
actions:
a. Issuance of an ECC with the necessary stipulations,
b. Requirement of additional information from the
project proponent,
c. Denial of the ECC
d. The additional information from the proponents, if
any, will be reviewed and evaluated, and a visual
inspection of the project site may be conducted
before the ECC is granted.
e. A public hearing may be held for certain projects, in
accordance with set criteria involving magnitude and
controversy.
THE EIA STAGES
Guidelines for Reviewing EIA Report

1. Documentation aspect which pertains to the physical

acceptance, contents, and format of the report.
2. Substantive aspect which pertains to the accuracy of
data and integrity of the information presented in the
report.
3. Assessment aspect which pertains to the quality of
the analysis of impacts.
Description or Category of Enterprise, Construction or
Development which require Environmental Impact Assessment

Industrial projects
* power generation plants
* electrical transmission lines and substations 115 KV or
greater
* chemical manufacturing plants
* wood pulp and paper processing
* paint manufacture
* petroleum refinery
* food processing large scale
* fish and meat processing, large scale
* tanneries
* electroplating/metal planting
* ferrous and non-ferrous metal processing
* mining and mineral processing
- bauxite
- peat
- sand, minerals
* detergent manufacture
* distillery
* cement and lime production
* textile manufacture
* pesticide or other hazardous or toxic substances
manufacture
Development projects
* subdivisions of 10 or more lots
* housing projects of 10 houses or more
* highway and road construction or remodelling
* railway lines
* hotel/resort complex of 12 rooms or more
* airports including runway expansion greater than 20%
* harbour and port including dredging
* office complex >5000 sq. metres
* pipelines and conveyors >15 cm including
underground cables, gas line
* construction of new highways, arterial roads and
major road improvement
* river basin development projects

Other projects
* cemeteries and crematoriums
* solid waste treatment and disposal facility including
agricultural waste
* water treatment facilities (water supply, desalination
plants sewage and industrial waste water)
* hazardous waste storage, treatment and disposal
facilities