SPECIAL REPORTS: WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
PHILIPPINES
Fulfilling the Goals of Agenda 21
Philippine Agenda 21
Philippine Agenda 21 or PA 21 is a major commit-
ment of the country to the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de
Janeiro in June 1992. PA 21is the country’s own national
agenda for sustainable development that also follows
up on initiatives already in place before 1992 such as
the Philippine Strategy for Sustainable Development; the
formulation of the Social Reform Agenda and the Con-
ference on Human Ecological Security. It also acknowl-
edges indigenous or traditional practices as a heritage
of sustainable development in the country.
Through Executive Order (EO) No. 15 signed in Sep-
tember 1992, the Government formed the Philippine
Council for Sustainable Development
(PCSD), a multi-sectoral body, to fulfill
the country ’s commitments to the
UNCED. The PCSD, which spearheads
the functions of PA 21, has a Coordi-
nating Secretariat and a PO-NGO
Counterpart secretariat. Part of the pro-
cess that created PA 21 was the drafting
of a People’s Covenant, which reflects
the mandate of the PCSD. Several memorandums or-
ders strengthen and support the operations and imple-
mentation of Agenda 21.
PA 21 recognizes three key actors in sustainable de-
velopment, and their roles in the different realms of society:
Business is the key actor in Economy, which is mainly
concerned with producing goods and services for people.
Government as the key actor in Polity, is concerned with
democratic governance and security of human rights.
Civil Society is the key actor in Culture, which is con-
cerned with the development of the social and spiritual
capacities of human beings.
The operational framework of PA 21 has two as-
pects:
• Managing the transition to sustainable develop-
ment by setting up enabling conditions, and
• Acting on the problems in each ecosystem and for
critical resources. The action agenda for each eco-
system and for critical resources includes issues
and concerns, strategies, timetable, targets, and
institutions involved. The ecosystems include the
forest; lowland/agricultural; urban; coastal and
marine; freshwater; mines and minerals; and
biodiversity.
36 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2002
Protecting the Atmosphere
The Philippines Inter-Agency Committee on Climate
Change (IACCC), established by virtue of Presidential
Order No. 220 in 1991, coordinates various climate
change-related activities and prepares the country’s po-
sitions to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Government signed
the UNFCCC on 12 June 1992 and ratified on 02
August 1994. It also acceded to the Vienna Convention
for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and ratified both
the Montreal Protocol on 17 July 1991 and the London
Amendments on 09 August 1993.Two laws with refer-
ence to climate change were approved.
The Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of
1997 mandates the Department of
Agriculture (DA) in coordination with the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical
and Astronomical Authority (PAGASA)
and other agencies, to devise a method
of regularly monitoring and consider-
ing the effect of global climate changes,
weather disturbances and annual pro-
ductivity cycles in order to forecast and
formulate the agriculture and fisheries production
programme.
The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (RA 8749) was
enacted into Law on 23 June 1999 and mandates the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) through its Environmental Management Bureau
(EMB) to implement its provisions. The DENR thus led
in the formulation of the Implementing Rules and Regu-
lations (IRR), the Integrated Air Quality Management
Framework, and the National Action Plan on Climate
Change. The Action Plan, which was formulated under
the supervision of the IACCC and funded by the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID),
aims to integrate climate change concerns into the
government’s development plans and programmes. Both
the IRR and the Action Plan were made effective on 26
November 2000. The IRR of the Act are to be imple-
mented by the following government agencies: DENR
– EMB: Stationary Sources (Industry) Management and
Control of Air Pollution and Issuance of Certificate of
Conformity to New Motor Vehicles; Department of Trans-
portation and Communications (DOTC)-Land Transpor-
tation Office (LTO): The management and control of air
pollution from mobile sources (motor vehicles) to include
installation of rebuilt / used engines; Department of Trade
and industry (DTI): Accredit the motor vehicles testing
centers called Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS),
which can be operated by private entities and concerned
regulatory bodies of the government. The DOTC-LTO
supervises the operation of the system that includes the
testing of motor vehicle emission and road safety prior
to the issuance of vehicle registration.; and the Depart-
ment of Energy (DOE): Manage and control the fuel
specification and additives.
Among the major programmes and projects imple-
mented are the:
• Metro Manila Air Quality Improvement Sector De-
velopment Program (MMAQISDP) that aims to
promote policy reforms to improve air quality
through the abatement of mobile and stationary
sources of air pollution. It focuses on the Metro
Manila air shed, the location of the main concen-
tration of air pollution. The program is also re-
habilitating and upgrading nine existing air qual-
ity monitoring stations. The loan project is funded
by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• ADB Climate Change Project, which conducted
vulnerability studies, generated a rapid assess-
ment of the country’s vulnerable sectors and areas
to climate change, including agriculture, water re-
sources and coastal areas.
• U.S. Country Studies Program, which enabled the
Philippines to produce in more detail its 1990
National Emissions Inventory and Study of sectors
and areas that are vulnerable to the impact of
climate change.
Three other bills pending in Congress that are rel-
evant to climate change are the: New and Renewable
Energy Program Act; An Act to Institutionalize Energy
Conservation and Enhance Efficient Use of Energy; and
An Act to Strengthen the National Program for the
Development and Promotion of the Use of Non-Con-
ventional Energy Systems.
Integrated Approach to the Planning
and Management of Land Resources
The Government drafted a National Land Use Act
(NLUA) that would strengthen the existing process of
identifying, determining, and evaluating alternative land
use patterns to guide and enable appropriate land
management and development. The Act is currently being
discussed in both Houses of Congress. In the interim,
strategies to implement measures on the rational con-
version of agricultural lands are being developed. A
charter on Agricultural Land approved in 1991, together
with the principles of agrarian reform, guides the country
in preserving the agricultural lands. The DENR’s Lands
Management Bureau (LMB) has developed a National
Master Plan on Land Resources Management that pro-
poses, among others, the establishment of a monolithic
agency that will adopt key and related functions; a
gradual shift from freehold to a leasehold system of
land disposition; the adoption of Geographic Informa-
tion System (GIS) Technology on a national scale, and
the acquisition of modern surveying equipment.
The DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management
(BSWM) continues to update the Network of Agricultural
Area for Development, and to promote the establish-
ment of soil and land databases at the local level as
a guide for land use planning and crop development.
The Land Management Fund will be a growth fund
for the purchase of lands for strategic inventories in land
banking, development of A and D lands to improve
land values, and investment in government securities. As
of this report, the master plan is still pending approval
at the DENR. Once approved, it will be translated into
regional Master Plans.
Photo by George Tapan
Mt. Apo Natural Park
Combating Deforestation
The Philippine Master Plan for Forestry Development
(MPFD) adopted in 1990, provides the framework for
combating deforestation and guiding the long-term de-
velopment of the forestry sector. In order to ensure eq-
uitable access to, and sustainable development of forest
resources, the President signed Executive Order 263
entitled “Adopting Community-Based Forest Managent
(CBFM) as the National Strategy to Ensure the Sustain-
able Development of the Country’s Forestland Resources
and Providing Mechanisms for its Implementation”.
The MPFD has 15 programmes thematically clus-
tered into: a) man and the environment; b) forest
management and products development; and c) insti-
tutional development. The Plan targets the reforestation
of 1.8 million ha to meet the country’s needs. Of the
target, 276,834 ha of forest lands was established and
ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 37
developed by the DENR to date. National programmes
and projects being implemented include the Integrated
Social Forestry Program that promotes a strong partner-
ship between the forest occupants and the government
in food production and forest rehabilitation; and the
Industrial Forest Management Program that aims to
establish industrial forest plantations as an alternative
resource base for forest-based export industries.
Promoting Sustainable Agriculture
and Rural Development
The Philippines through the DA, implements the Key
Production Area (KPA) Development Approach to sus-
tainable agriculture. The KPA approach is premised on
the need to optimise the use of land and water to provide
the food requirements of the growing population and
foster “export winners” within the context of equitable
and sustainable development. It encourages farmers and
fisherfolk to produce specific products suitable to the
land, water resources, and climate of specific areas in
the country. Environmental concerns are being integrated
into policies and programmes such as harnessing ap-
propriate, cost efficient and environment-friendly strat-
egies and technologies to meet both long-term eco-
nomic and ecological needs.
The country has adopted the Integrated Pest Man-
agement (IPM), an ecological approach to crop culti-
vation, which was introduced in 1993. The programme
known as “Kasaganaan, Sakahan at Kalikasan” or
KASAKALIKASAN is the government’s commitment to-
wards promoting sustainable agriculture and rural de-
velopment; and soil conservation and management. The
DA has developed appropriate land use management
systems and soil conservation techniques to minimise
land degradation, indiscriminate conversion, and con-
sequent deterioration of land productivity.
Conservation of Biological Diversity
The Philippines signed the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) in 1992 and ratified it in 1993. The
country’s latest report was submitted to the Convention
Secretariat in 1996. The Second National Report, which
was submitted in June 2002 to the CBD Secretariat for
the Sixth Conference of the Parties in April 2002, takes
off from the First National Report. The DENR’s protected
Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) as the management
authority for terrestrial species has submitted its latest
report to CITES in 2000. On the other hand, the latest
RAMSAR report was submitted in May 2002.
The Philippines implemented the following major
activities as a Contracting Party to the CBD:
Country Study on Biodiversity and Preparation
of a National Biodiversity Stategy and Action Plan.
The Philippines through the DENR conducted an assess-
38 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2002
ment of its biodiversity resources through a grant from
the United Nations Environment Programme. Based on
this comprehensive assessment, the problems, threats,
issues, and gaps were identified and formed the basis
for a national strategy and action plan (NBSAP) that was
prepared by a multi-disciplinary team. The goals of the
NBSAP are the conservation, sustainable utilization, and
equitable sharing of benefits by all Filipinos, present
and future. PAWB also spearheaded the Biodiversity
Conservation Priority Setting.
Policies formulated and legislations enacted.
Among the major policies/legislations are the following:
• National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS)
Law (Republic Act 7586), which provides for the
establishment and management of a comprehen-
sive system of outstandingly remarkable areas and
biologically important public lands that are habitats
of various species of plants and animals. To date,
83 protected areas have been proclaimed under
the NIPAS category, covering around 2.5 million
hectares nationwide. The enactment of this Law
preceded the signing of the CBD by the Philippines
by four days, but its provisions clearly promote the
country’s commitments to the Convention.
• Executive Order 247, Prescribing Guidelines and
Establishing a Regulatory Framework for the Pros-
pecting of Biological and Genetic Resources, their
By-Products and Derivatives, for Scientific and
Commercial Purposes and for other Purposes.
• Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act
(Republic Act 9147), which aims to conserve the
wildlife resources and their habitats and to enhance
biological diversity.
• Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (Republic Act 8550)
requires all government agencies as well as private
firms and entities which intend to undertake activities
or projects that will affect the habitats of the rare,
threatened and endangered aquatic species to
prepare a detailed Environmental Impact Assess-
ment that shall be submitted to the DENR for review
and evaluation; and
• National Caves and Cave Resources Management
Protection Act (Republic Act 9072), a policy that aims
to conserve, protect and manage caves and cave
resources as part of the country’s natural wealth.
Financial mechanism to support biodiversity con-
servation projects. The Philippines was able to support
the implementation of biodiversity conservation activities
through funds accessed from developed countries via
the GEF, either through UNDP/UNEP or World Bank and
through regional channels.
Major projects on biodiversity conservation. Major
biodiversity conservation projects implemented since 1992
include the Conservation of Priority Protected Areas in the
Philippines, the National Integrated Protected Areas
Programme, and the Samar Island Biodiversity Programme.
Projects being funded by the Foundation for the Philip-
pine Environment and the GEF Small Grants Programme
have also contributed to the overall effort on biodiversity
conservation in the country.
The Philippines carried out and/or is currently under-
taking joint initiatives relevant to biodiversity with other parties.
Some of the major undertakings are described below:
• ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conser-
vation (ARCBC) was established to coordinate all
initiatives and enhance the capacity of the ASEAN
on biodiversity conservation. It is assisting ASEAN-
member countries in improving technical and in-
stitutional approaches for managing biodiversity
conservation.
• Biodiversity Research Programme for Development
in Mindanao: Focus on Mt. Malindang and En-
virons, funded by the Ministry for Development
Cooperation of the Netherlands, aims to build the
capacity for local communities, government, aca-
deme, and other stakeholders to promote and
undertake the sustainable use of biological re-
sources and effective decision-making on
biodiversity conservation.
• New Zealand Development Assistance to the Phil-
ippines National Ecotourism Strategy Project, a
three-year programme of technical assistance to
the Philippines between January 2001 to Decem-
ber 2003. The Project stems from Philippine
Government Executive Order (EO)111 issued in
1999, which established the framework for the
preparation and implementation of a National
Ecotourism Strategy.
• An agreement between the Philippines and Ma-
laysia for the joint management and conservation
of the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area
(TIHPA), which is the world’s first transfrontier PA
for marine turtles and the only major rootery of
green turtles in the ASEAN region. Six islands from
the Philippines and three islands from Malaysia
comprise the PA.
Sub-Committee on Biodiversity under the PCSD.
The creation of the PCSD Sub-Committee on Biodiversity,
a multi-sectoral group, ensures the participation of civil
society in decision-making concerning biodiversity con-
servation in the country. Chaired by the PAWB and co-
chaired by the Southeast Asia Regional Institute for
Community Education (SEARICE), the Sub-Committee
on Biodiversity is composed of 10 government agencies
and 8 NGOs (SEARICE, Philippine Sustainable Devel-
opment Network Foundation, Ecological Society of the
Philippines, Earth Savers Movement, Foundation for
Sustainable Development, Haribon Foundation for the
Conservation of Natural Resources, Philippine Associa-
tion for Inter-Cultural Development, Upland NGO As-
sistance Center).
Observance of the International Biodiversity Day.
The country regularly observes International Biodiversity
Day by holding symposia, fora and other activities rel-
evant to the year’s theme.
Public information, education, and communica-
tion (IEC) activities. All projects/programmes have IEC
components that promote biodiversity conservation, the
NBSAP, and the CBD using the multi-media (broadcast,
print, Internet, etc).
Protection of the Oceans, All Kinds of Seas,
including Enclosed and Semi-enclosed Seas and
Coastal Areas and the Protection, Rational Use
and Development of their Living Resources
The Government reconstituted the Cabinet Commit-
tee on the Treaty of the Law of the Sea created in 1981,
and renamed it as the Cabinet Committee on Marine
and Ocean Affairs (CABCOM-MOA). The Committee
is mandated to formulate practical and viable policies
to address the various concerns of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which
the country ratified in 1984. In 2000, the CABCOM-
MOA reviewed the National Marine Policy, which was
the umbrella framework for addressing ocean and
marine concerns, and recommended a component policy
on coastal management that led to the drafting of the
National Coastal Management Policy (NCMP).
Earlier, the Government enacted the Philippine Fish-
eries Code in 1998, which stipulates the establishment
of coastal resources and municipal fishers and reinforces
the constitutional mandate for preferential use of mu-
nicipal waters by marginal and municipal fishers; it also
reinforces the mandate of local government in the man-
agement of coastal resources and municipal waters. In
2000, the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
(DA-BFAR) and the DENR signed a joint memorandum
order, defining areas of cooperation and collaboration
in the implementation of the Code. The memorandum
tasks the DENR to convene an interagency committee
that would develop and approve the National Integrated
Coastal and Marine Management Strategy (NICMMS).
The NICMMS shall lay the foundation for local inte-
grated coastal area management, applicable from the
watersheds bordering the coast and out to the marine
areas of the country. The Philippines has also partici-
pated in the formulation of the Regional Action Plan for
the East Asian Seas.
The DENR is currently implementing the Coastal En-
vironment Program (CEP) that integrates programmes,
projects and initiatives related to or concerning coastal
environments, and promotes the management of the
ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 39
entire coastal environment including water quality and
shoreline land use. The CEP has the potential to develop
into a national coordinating and policy unit supporting
integrated coastal management throughout the country.
It is currently developing effective links with the the Fish-
eries Resource Management Project (FRMP), a follow-
up of the Fisheries Sector Program (FSP) implemented
by the DA-BFAR from 1990-1995 in 12 priority bays
and six aquaculture regions nationwide. The FRMP
primarily aims to achieve sustainable development for
the fisheries sector in selected project sites by reducing
poverty incidence among the marginal fisherfolk.
The Philippines, through the DENR, hosts the Regional
Programme for the Prevention and Management of
Marine Pollution in East Asian Seas (RPPMMP-EAS), an
on-going project of the UNDP-GEF. The programme’s
major thrust is to strengthen the capacity of the 11
participating governments in East Asia to mitigate the
marine pollution from land and sea-based sources.
A national data center on coastal zone environment
and resource management is currently being established
under the auspices of the ASEAN-Australia Environment
and Economic Program, Phase III. This project aims to
develop a meta-database on coastal resource man-
agement through a network of networks, and a decision
support system. The Municipal Coastal Database (MCD)
2000 is the national database developed from the inputs
of over 500 coastal communities through the DENR-
CRMP. It serves as an information management system
that local government units could utilise as a planning,
monitoring and evaluation tool.
Tthe Philippines had also participated in the formu-
lation and adoption of the Global Programme on Land-
based Sources of Pollution. The country is currently
conceptualizing a national programme on land-based
sources of pollution to integrate Philippine initiatives and
commitments to both the ASEAN and the Coordinating
Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) regional
programmes, and NGO initiatives under the auspices
of the Advisory Committee on the Protection of Seas
(ACOPS). Also, the country is a partner of the Interna-
tional Coral Initiative (ICRI).
Protection of the Quality and Supply of Freshwater
Resources: Application of Integrated Approaches
to the Development, Management and Use of Water
Resources
Water resources management is a top priority of the
government in order to promote socio-economic devel-
opment. The government has thus pursued, consistent
with the December 1994 Water Summit decisions and
based on a river basin approach, the Master Plan on
Water Resources Management in the Philippines, which
provides a framework for the proper development and
40 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2002
management of water and related land resources as
well as identified and recommended water resources
development projects to cope with the projected water
shortage in the future. Currently, the National Water
Resources Board (NWRB) acts as the overall water
resource regulator pending the creation of an indepen-
dent water resources authority.
The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS)
conducted a study on water pricing, which aimed to
determine the economic value of water for the devel-
opment of a more realistic pricing scheme to consider
full cost recovery and other externalities such as the
public’s willingness to pay for water as a commodity.
Since then, the Government has privatized the Metro-
politan Waterworks and Sewerage System as a result of
Executive Order No. 311 in order to improve service
standards and expand service area coverage; increase
the water supply system efficiency; and implement waste
water management programmes.
Strengthening the Role of Major Groups
Women: In 1993, during the Women’s Day cel-
ebration, the Government issued a number of directives
to further empower women and address their concerns.
These included the: a) implementation of the Women
in Development and Nation Building Act, and its imple-
menting rules and regulations; b) the formulation of strat-
egies to incorporate the Act in the government budget;
and c) the identification of priority areas where Women’s
Desks may be established or implemented to provide
greater protection to women and, to make government
programmes for women accessible to them. Mecha-
nisms are in place to assess the implementation and
impact of development and environment policies and
programmes on women. Curricula and educational
materials already promote gender relevant knowledge.
The Philippines ratified the Convention on the Elimina-
tion of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in
1987, and also participated in the Fourth World Con-
ference on Women in Beijing, China from 4-15 Sep-
tember 1995.
Children and Youth: The country has implemented
a number of initiatives and efforts to integrate the con-
cerns of children and youth in the Government’s plan-
ning and decision-making process. The Capacity 21
project has linked several government agencies (such as
the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, the
DENR) with several youth organisations from POs and
NGOs in the preparation of PA 21. Other accomplish-
ments include the creation of the National Youth Com-
mission (NYC) and the Philippine Youth Environmental
Network.
Indigenous People: Several indigenous people’s
organizations (POs) and NGOs are recognised and
allowed to participate in various levels of policy and
planning processes related to government programmes
and projects as provided in the Local Government Code
of 1991. The National Integrated Protected Areas System
Act enhances the role of indigenous communities in the
management of identified protected areas in the country.
In addition, Executive Order No. 236 signed in July 1995,
institutionalised both the community-based forest man-
agement and the indispensable role of indigenous com-
munities in forest conservation, extraction, and protection.
The government has likewise issued several directives and
promulgations that would ensure the participation of the
indigenous community in almost all levels of the project
cycle and in almost all projects undertaken in their area
of concern. Foremost are: a) the recognition of their right
for self-determination through the creation of the Office
of Southern Cultural Communities and the Office of
Northern Cultural Communities; and b) their active par-
ticipation in various committees and sub-committees of
PCSD.
A major legislation on indigenous peoples is the
enactment in October 1997 of the Indigenous Peoples
Rights Acts (IPRA) Law. Under IPRA, “the State shall rec-
ognize, respect and protect the rights on indigenous peoples
to preserve and develop their cultures, traditions, and
institutions” in the formulation of national laws and policies.
These rights include the right to claim ancestral domains,
which covers not only the physical environment but also
the spiritual and cultural bonds associated with it. The Law
also protects the right of the IPs to exclude others in
exploiting natural resources within their ancestral domain;
free and prior informed consent of the community ob-
tained in accordance with the customary laws, is required.At
present, the National Commission on Indigenous People
(NCIP) has the mandate to protect and promote the
interest and well-being of the IPs with due regard to their
beliefs, customs, traditions and institutions.
Non-government Organisations: Mechanisms al-
ready exist that allow NGOs to play their partnership role
in sustainable development responsibly and effectively.
There have already been a number of collaborative efforts
between POs and NGOs on sustainable development.
To ensure active participation from the civil society in the
decision-making process towards sustainable develop-
ment, representatives from POs and NGOs sit in as
members of the Philippine Council for Sustainable De-
velopment and in several foreign-assisted projects on the
environment (that is, Protected Area projects).
Local Authorities: Devolution and decentralization
of sustainable development initiatives have placed the
local government units (LGUs) in the forefront of the de-
velopment process. The Government has established a
local government academy to train local government
officials and develop them into a core of competent and
dedicated executives to promote and support the gov-
ernment thrust towards poverty eradication, social reform,
and sustainable development. Moreover, the Department
of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has issued a
memorandum for local government offices to designate
a focal person who would be responsible in ensuring that
sustainable development concerns are integrated into the
local planning process. The Local Government Authority
(LGA) has established local councils’ structures and mecha-
nisms based on the respective needs and political dynam-
ics in the regions and provinces, and for the purpose of
implementing sustainable development initiatives.
Workers and Trade Unions: As a member-repre-
sentative to the PCSD, the Trade Union Congress of the
Philippines and the Labor Advisory and Consultative
Council coordinate trade union activities related to sus-
tainable development. Several trade unions have al-
ready included the “Green Clause” in their Collective
Bargaining Agreements. The sector has also contributed
to the conduct of the “Gathering for Human and Eco-
logical Security”, a conference that served as a venue
for sharing experiences and developing consensus on
the new ethic for human and ecological security.
Business and Industry: The business sector’s in-
volvement in sustainable development initiatives came
with the formulation of the Philippine Business Charter
and the launch of the bi-monthly newsmagazine “Busi-
ness and Environment”. Some government policies
also encourage increasing the efficiency of resource
use and reduction of waste per unit of economic output,
and require recycling. The sector also participated in
the consultation programme for the Major Groups
Committee supported by the International Labor Or-
ganization (ILO) in 1995 and provided inputs to the
formulation of the PA 21. The sector is a signatory
to the “People’s Covenant Towards a Transition to
Sustainable Development”, which formalizes the com-
mitment of all stakeholders to the implementation of
PA 21.
Farmers: As a permanent representative from the
PO, the farmers’ group is given an equal chance to
participate in the decision-making process of the gov-
ernment on sustainable development initiatives. The sector
is involved in a series of consultations related to the
formulation of PA 21 and has been actively participating
in the activities of the PCSD.

References:
PCSD, undated. Primer on Philippine Agenda 21. Philippine
Council for Sustainable Development, 30 pp.
Second National Report of the Philippines to the Sixth
Conference of the Parties. 2002. Protected Areas and
Wildlife Bureau, DENR, Philippines.
www.johannesburgsummit.org
NBRU-Philippines
ASEAN BIODIVERSITY 41