The Philippine

Environmental Impact
Statement System (PD 1586)
ESTABLISHING AN ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STATEMENT SYSTEM INCLUDING
OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
RELATED MEASURES AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
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BASIC POLICY AND OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF THE PEISS

❖Consistent with the principles of

sustainable development, it is the policy
of the DENR to implement a systems-
oriented and integrated approach to the
EIS system to ensure a rational balance
between socio-economic development
and environmental protection for the
benefit of present and future generations.

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BASIC POLICY AND OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF THE PEISS

❖ KEY OPERATING PRINCIPLES:

➢ Concerned primarily with assessing the direct
and indirect impacts of a project on the
biophysical and human environment
➢ Aids Proponents in incorporating environmental
considerations in planning their projects
➢ Project Proponents are responsible for
determining and disclosing all relevant
information necessary for a methodological
assessment of the environmental impacts of their
projects
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COVERAGE OF THE PEISS

❖ The PEISS covers undertakings that have

significant adverse impact to the environmental
quality.
❖ Proclamation No. 2146 defines undertakings that
are either Environmentally Critical
Projects (ECPs) or located in Environmentally
Critical Areas (ECAs) are within the scope of the
PEISS.
❖ ECAs are declared under Proclamation No.
2146 and according to the parameters set forth
in EMB MC 005-2014 (Revised Guidelines for
Coverage Screening and
Standardized Requirements under the Philippine
EIS System). 4
COVERAGE OF THE PEISS

❖ ECPs are categorized as Category A while

Category B are projects that are not classified as
Category A but are likewise deemed to
significantly affect the quality of the
environment.
❖ Projects or undertakings which are intended to
directly enhance the quality of the environment or
directly address existing environmental problems
are classified under Category C while those that
do not pose significant environmental
impacts are classified as Category D.

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COVERAGE OF THE PEISS

❖An Environmental Compliance Certificate

(ECC) has to be secured for projects
categorized as Category A and Category B
prior to project implementation.

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 Basic Concepts for
Environmental Impact
Assessment

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Definition of EIA

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. It also includes designing
appropriate preventive, mitigating and
enhancement measures addressing these
consequences to protect the environment
and the community's welfare."

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Definition of EIA

Environmental
✓ Impact Assessment is
A formal process for identifying:
•likely effects of activities or Environment is
projects on the broadly interpreted:
ENVIRONMENT, and on physical, biological,
human health and welfare. and social.

•means and measures to

In EIA, the term
mitigate & monitor these “impacts” is used
impacts instead of “effects
of activities.”
What is an
impact?
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What is an Impact?

The impact of an activity is a

deviation (a change) The baseline
from the baseline condition condition is the
that is caused by the activity. existing
environmental
situation or
condition in the

! To measure an impact, you

absence of the
activity.
must know what the
The baseline
baseline situation is. condition is a key
More…
concept in EIA.

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The Baseline Condition
Water Quantity, quality, reliability,
In characterizing the accessibility
baseline condition,
Soils Erosion, crop productivity,
many environmental fallow periods, salinity,
components MAY be nutrient concentrations
of interest Fauna Populations, habitat

The components of
Env Health Disease vectors, pathogens
interest are those that
are likely to be affected
Flora Composition and density of
by the activity—or natural vegetation,
upon which the activity productivity, key species
depends for its
success Special Key species
ecosystems

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The Baseline Condition

The baseline condition is

Water table
not simply a “snapshot.”
Describing the baseline
situation requires describing
both the normal variability in
environmental components &
current trends in these time
components. This chart of
groundwater levels
shows both variability
and a trend over time.

Both are part of the

groundwater baseline
situation.

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Types of Impacts & their Attributes
Direct & indirect
The EIA process is impacts
concerned with
Short-term & long-
all types of impacts and term impacts
may describe them in a
Adverse & beneficial
number of ways
impacts
Cumulative impacts
 Intensity
 Direction
 Spatial extent
 Duration
But all impacts are
 Frequency
 Reversibility NOT treated
 Probability equally.

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 Specifically,
! It is ESSENTIAL in EIA
to focus on the most
significant impacts.

Don’t waste effort & time

analyzing and discussing
impacts that are less
important.

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What is an Activity?
We are discussing the impacts of activities.
What are activities?
✓ An activity is:
a desired
accomplishment or
output Accomplishing an activity
Ex: road construction, requires a set of actions
power production, or
ACTIVITY: ACTIONS:
river diversion to mining Survey, grading, site
irrigate land operation clearing, tree cutting,
relocation, river diversion,
culvert construction,
compaction, etc. .
A project or program may
consist of many activities
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The EIA Process

Phase II:
Phase I:
Full EIA study
Initial inquiries
(if needed)

•Understand • Scope
proposed activities • Evaluate baseline situation
• Identify & choose alternatives
•Screen • Identify and characterize potential
•Conduct preliminary impacts of proposed activity
assessment (if • Develop mitigation and
needed) monitoring
• Communicate and document
Our focus!
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Understand the Proposed Activity
Understand ALL EIA processes begin with
the proposed
activities understanding WHAT is being proposed,
Why is the and WHY.
activity being The question
proposed? “WHY IS THE ACTIVITY BEING PROPOSED?
What is being Is answered with the development objective (D.O.).


proposed?

✓
“building a road” Not a D.O.!
“increasing access
Is a D.O.
to markets”
“If we don’t
understand
We must understand the
it, we can’t Development Objective to identify
assess it!” environmentally sound alternatives

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Screen the Activity
Screen each
activity
screening classifies the activity into
Based on the
nature of the
a RISK CATEGORY:
activity, what VERY LOW RISK EIA process ends
level of
environmental Do full EIA study
VERY HIGH RISK
analysis is
indicated? MODERATE OR Do preliminary
UNKNOWN RISK assessment

The outcome of the

screening process
determines the next step
in the EIA process

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Screen the Activity

! Each national EIA law

has its own set of
screening questions.

✓ Screening

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Screen the Activity

❖ The purpose of screening to determine

whether a proposal requires an EIA or not.

❖ Screening also determines what document

type the proponent will prepare and submit
to EMB for ECC application as well as the
endorsing and decision authorities.

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What is Mitigation?

Mitigation is. . .
✓
The implementation of
measures designed to
reduce the undesirable
effects of a proposed
action on the
environment

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To arrive at findings:
Identify, Predict and Judge
Arriving at the FINDINGS in a preliminary
assessment requires 3 steps:
1
Identify potential Many resources describe the potential
impacts impacts of typical small-scale activities.

2 Determine which potential impacts are likely

Predict potential
to become actual, and quantify these
impacts
impacts to the extent possible.

3 Judge the Determine whether the predicted impacts are

significance of indeed significant!
potential impacts THIS WILL OFTEN DEPEND ON HOW
EFFECTIVE THE PROPOSED MITIGATION
MEASURES ARE!
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! We only proceed to
Phase II of the EIA process

if
Phase I indicates that
a FULL EIA STUDY
is required

Most small-scale activities do

not require a full EIA study!

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Phase 2 of the EIA process:
The Full EIA Study
A formal scoping process

The full EIA study has ! precedes the study to ID

issues to be addressed
very similar objectives Analysis of environmental
and structure to a
preliminary
! impacts is much more
detailed

assessment. Alternatives* must be

However, the full EIA

! formally defined. The
impacts of each
alternative must be
study differs in identified & evaluated,
important ways: and the results compared.
Public participation is
usually required.
! A professional EIA team
is usually required.
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Phase 2 of the EIA process:
The Full EIA Study
With a few additions, the Basic steps of the full
EIA study
basic outline of the
Scope

Communicate & Document throughout

preliminary assessment is
the template for the steps Evaluate baseline
involved in a full EIA study: situation
Identify & choose
1. Background (Development alternatives
objective, list of activities)
Identify and characterize
2. Description of the baseline
potential impacts of
situation
proposed activity and
3. Evaluation of potential each alternative
environmental impacts
Compare alternatives
4. Mitigation & monitoring
Develop mitigation and
5. Recommended Findings monitoring

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Phase 2 of the EIA process:
The Full EIA Study

✓ In summary,
The full EIA study is a far
more significant effort than
the preliminary assessment.

It is reserved for activities for

which screening or the
preliminary assessment
shows that significant
impacts are likely.

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Who is Involved in EIA?
Proponents of the
activity
(usually commissions/conducts the
EIA)
Regulatory agencies
Review authorities
Broad-based public
Communities (men & women)
Civil society
Private Sector
Public consultation is usually
only REQUIRED for full EIA
studies.
However, it is good practice
for preliminary assessments
because:
• Predicting impacts is
FACILITATED by broad-
based public consultation;
Judging significance is very
difficult without it.
• Transparency and
accessibility require
disclosure to stakeholders
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EIA in the context of the project planning and
decision making

The process of predicting the

likely environmental
consequences of implementing a
project and designing
appropriate preventive mitigating
and enhancement measures as
an input to decision making

The emphasis , compared with many other mechanisms

for environmental management, is on PREVENTION
 EIA Process for ECC
Applications under EIS
Category B Non-ECP
PD 1151 (June 1977) Philippine Environmental Policy

PD 1586 (1978) Establishment of the Philippine

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System

Proclamation No. 2146 (1981)

EO 291 (1996) Improving the Phil. EIS System

AO No. 42 (2002) Further Simplification of the

Requirements and Streamline Processing of ECC
Implementing Rules & Regulations

DAO 30-2003
Revised Procedural Manual (EMB MC 002-2007)

EMB MC 005-2011
Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change
Adaptation (CCA) concerns in the PEISS

EMB MC 05-2014
Revised Guidelines for Coverage Screening and Standardized
Requirements Under the PEISS

EMB MC 27-2020
Project Threshold for the Extraction of Non-Metallic Resources
Applying for ECC
Proclamation No. 2146 (1981)
A. ENVIRONMENTALLY CRITICAL PROJECTS (ECP)

1. HEAVY INDUSTRIES
Non-ferrous metal industries, Iron & steel mills, Petroleum & petro-
chemical industries, including oil & gas, Smelting plants

2.RESOURCE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES

Major mining & quarrying projects, Forestry projects, Fishery
projects (dikes for fishpond development projects)

3. INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Major dams, Major power plants, Major reclamation projects
Major roads and bridges

4. GOLF COURSE PROJECTS

B. ENVIRONMENTALLY CRITICAL AREAS

✓ Areas declared by law as national parks, watershed reserves, wildlife

preserves & sanctuaries
✓ Areas set aside as aesthetic potential tourist spots
✓ Areas which constitute the habitat for endangered/threatened
species of indigenous Phil. Wildlife (flora & fauna)
✓ Areas of unique historic, archaeological, or scientific interests
✓ Areas which are traditionally occupied by cultural communities
✓ Areas frequently visited and/or hard-hit by natural calamities,
geologic hazards, floods, typhoons, volcanic activity, etc.
✓ Areas with critical slopes
✓ Areas classified as prime agricultural lands
✓ Recharged areas of aquifers
✓ Water bodies
✓ Mangrove
✓ Coral reefs
 EIA Process & Project Cycles
Detailed EIA, Identification of
Mitigation Needs, inputs to
Cost Benefit Analysis
Findings and recommendations
of EIA considered in various
permits and licenses needed
Site selection,
Feasibility P C Pre-feasibility environmental
screening, initial

Detailed design of
r y assessment, scoping

mitigation measures
o c Project
Detailed Engineering j l Conceptualization/
& Design Improvement
e e
Monitoring and
Implementation c evaluation of
of mitigation
environmental
measures t performance
Project Operation &
Construction Maintenance
& Development
EIA DOCUMENT REQUIRED

Project Category Documentary Jurisdiction

Requirements
A: ECP Co-located Programmatic EIS EMB Central
projects EIS Office
Single/Multiple EPRMP
Project
Components
B: Non-ECP Single/Multiple EIS EMB Regional
Project EPRMP Office
Components IEE Checklist ONLINE
APPLICATION

C: Environmental Environmental PD EMB Regional

Enhancement Enhancement Office
Project or Direct Projects
Mitigation

D: Not Covered Not Covered PD ONLINE

APPLICATION
EIA DOCUMENT REQUIRED

Project Applied To Document

Category Required
B: Non-ECP B-1: New Co-located projects Programmatic EIS

Single Project EIS

IEE Checklist
B-2: Existing, to be Single Project EPRMP
expanded, modified EPRMP Checklist
and/or rehabilitated
Co-located PEPRMP
B-3: Operating
without ECC
EIA Procedures Detailed Submissions from Action
Activities Proponent
a. Scoping Site/Public PDS Approval from
Scoping Pre-IEC Activity EMB
(EMB to witness)

Technical Summary of Issues & Once complete,

Scoping Concerns EMB to schedule a
tech scoping with
List of Participants/
the EIA Review
Stakeholders invited
Team
PDS
Signed Screening
EIS Scoping Checklist Forms
b. EIA Study & Proponent Proponent driven
Report conduct
Preparation data
gathering
 EIA Detailed Activities Submissions from Action
Procedures Proponent
c. Review Screening of Draft EIS Signed EIS Scoping Checklist Approved Screening
• Procedural (signed by the EIA Review Form
and Screening Team, Proponent, Preparer)
Evaluation
Substantive Review
• Send Notice to the Draft EIS
Review Team
created during the
scoping process
Public Consultation can be
• First EIA Review scheduled AI Letter

• Public Consultation Report on Public

Consultation;
• 2nd Review (last Proponent responses to AI &
review) on the Issues and concerns
raised during the PC; Review Team Report
other supporting docs Recommendation
Required
 EIA Detailed Activities Submissions from Action
Procedures Proponent

d. Decision draft decision Final EIS Report Approval

document

• Minutes of the
meetings
• CSW
• Draft ECC/Denial

e. Compliance
Monitoring
DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS to be submitted
with the EIS

❖ Proof of compatibility with the existing land use

plan
❖ Proof of ownership or authority over the project
site
MPSA (mining project)
Approved Operating Agreement
TCT
Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC)

- Decision document issued to the proponent after

thorough review of the EIA Report

- It outlines the commitments of the proponent

which are necessary for the project to comply
with existing environmental regulations or to
operate within the best environmental practice
that are not currently covered by existing laws
Decision on EIA Document

 Based on striking balance between socio-

economic growth & environmental
protection
 Uses environmental and socio-economic
criteria
 Primacy of jurisdiction of other
government agencies is respected &
supported
Contents of the ECC

Scope of project or undertaking

Conditions conformed by the proponent to
implement mitigating measures for
potentially negative impacts and
enhancement measures for potentially
positive impacts
Recommendations to concerned permitting,
deciding and monitoring entities
Validity of the ECC

 once project is implemented, ECC remains valid

and active for the lifetime of the project (unless
otherwise specified);

 sustains the active commitments of the

proponents to comply with conditions of the ECC
and with environmental regulations
Expiry of the ECC

Not implemented w/in 5 years from ECC issuance

EMB MC 31-2020 Guidelines on the 5-Year Validity

of ECC Pursuant to DAO 30-2003
END OF
PRESENTATION

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