ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ASSESSMENT (EIA)
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process that involves predicting and evaluating the
likely impacts of a project on the environment (land, water, air, flora, fauna and people) at various
stages (construction, commissioning, operation and abandonment) of the project development.  It
also involves the development of appropriate preventive, mitigating and enhancement measures
that will protect the environment from the identified impacts.  These measures are formulated into
environmental management and monitoring plans.
In the Philippines, the EIA process is implemented by the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) Environmental Management Bureau(EMB). This process is officially
known as the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System (PEISS) which was
established under PD1586 on 11 June 1978. This introduced the concept of Environmentally
Critical Projects (ECP) and projects within Environmentally Critical Areas (ECA). Under the EIA
process or Philippine EIS System, a supplementary document, the Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) is prepared for every proposed ECP or project found within an ECA. The EIS
contains the probable impacts of the project which have been discerned from conducting the
EIA. Through a reiterative review process, the predicted impacts and mitigating measures are
assessed and if determined sufficient, DENR EMB issues an Environmental Compliance
Commitment (ECC) document that is conformed by the project proponent and this then
represents the project’s Environmental Compliance Certificate.  The release of the ECC allows
the project to proceed with implementation, including the acquisition of other approvals from
government agencies and local government units.
For a list of all the laws governing the Philippine EIA System, you can visit the EMB website’s
online repository.
The three general EIA Report categories are the EIS, the EPRMP, and the IEE, which all have
separate preparation and application procedures. The aforementioned Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) is a full-blown study that establishes detailed baseline characteristics of the
land, air, water, biota and people in the host site and vicinities of a proposed project.
An Environmental Performance Report and Management Plan (EPRMP) – is normally required if
projects are existing and intend to expand, with the report focusing on its environmental
performance over the past 3 to 5 years of operation. The impacts of the expansion on the
existing environmental management plan are assessed and the necessary mitigating measures
incorporated. The Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) is an abbreviated EIS in that only
general descriptions of the environment are required.
For a list of EIA Reports Apercu has done, you may visit our Projects page. You can also view
the DENR page on the EIA system at this link.